"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 043 - The Mystery Of The Aztec Warrior" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)

Mr Juan thought their supposition very interesting. He said that if Seсor Tatloc had found the stone, he certainly would receive credit for it. The Hardys, already worried about the safety of the archaeologist, felt that now they had an additional reason for finding him as quickly as possible.

"We'd like to locate Seсor Tatloc," said Frank. "Can you give us any leads, Mr Juan?"

The curator shook his head. "That man is like a recluse. We have several very fine relics here which he has sent, but he has never brought any of them himself and refuses to appear in person for any kind of honours."

Before leaving, the Hardys asked the curator whether their friend Chet Morton had visited the museum.

"Is he rather heavy set?" Mr Juan asked. When they nodded, he said, "Yes, your friend was here. In fact, he told me proudly that he had made a great discovery!"




- 13 -

A Charging Bull



"WHAT'S your guess about Chet's discovery?" Frank asked his brother as they hurried back to their hotel. To the brothers' disappointment, he was not there nor had any message been left for the Hardys.

"Chet probably went off to try out another loony idea like that Indian costume bit," Joe said. "When that door opens, be ready for anything!"

As time wore on and Chet did not return, Frank and Joe ceased to joke about it. They became alarmed. There was a good possibility that a member of one of the gangs stalking the boys had captured him. The enemy could be Jack Wayne's kidnapper; the fake detective who had jumped into the boys' taxi; the ringleader, Jimenez; the alley gangsters looking for revenge; or the over-zealous young patriots might have followed Chet and managed to trap him.

A few minutes later Joe said, "It's lunchtime, but I don't feel like eating."

"Same here," Frank agreed. "Perhaps we should get in touch with the police and tell them about Chet."

Joe had another theory about Chet's absence. "He might have seen one of our enemies on the street and followed him."

Frank disagreed. "Chet's a good scout and a big help to us, but I don't think he'd trail a criminal by himself, especially in a country he doesn't know."

As the brothers paced the room trying to make up their minds what to do, the door opened. They heaved sighs of relief. Chet wore a broad grin, so they knew he was all right.

"What's the point of scaring us half to death?" Frank berated him.

The scolding failed to erase the smile from Chet's face. As he unwrapped the package he carried, he said:
"While I was over at the museum this morning, I saw something that gave me an idea. It was an ancient dagger with a serpent's head for a handle. I got to thinking about our Aztec warrior. Mr Moore was a collector of weapons. Why couldn't the thing we're looking for be a dagger with an Aztec warrior's head for a handle?"

The Hardys stared at their friend. This was good reasoning.

"Chet, I think you've hit the bull's-eye this time," said Frank.

Joe added, "You sure were using your old noggin."

Chet beamed as he finished unwrapping the package. He threw down the paper and held up a dagger.

"Pretty neat, eh?" he asked. "This should solve the mystery."