Page:Tom Swift in the City of Gold.djvu/187

Rh have been dry at one time, and when it was finished they turned the water in it."

"But how is that going to help us?" asked Tom. "I grant you that the river may not have been here at one time, but it's here now, which makes it all the worse for us."

"But, Tom!" cried his chum, "if the river was turned aside from this channel once it can be done again. My notion is that the ancients could make the river flow here or not, just as they choose. Probably they turned it into this channel to keep their enemies from crossing to the city of gold, like the ancient moats. Now if we could only find"

"I see! I see!" cried Tom enthusiastically. "You mean there must be some way of shutting off the water."

"Exactly," replied his chum. "We've got to shut that stream of water off, or turn it into some other channel, then we can cross, and keep on to the city of gold. And I think there must be some valve—some lever, or handle or something similar to the one that moved the altar—near here that does the trick. Let's all look for it."

"Bless my chopping block!" cried Mr. Damon. "That's the strangest thing I ever heard of! But I believe you're right, Ned. We'll look for the handle to the river," and he laughed gaily.