"Gaboon! It's a health resort on the west coast of Equatorial Africa—a favorite spot for day trips into the heart of the Gorilla Country."
Another pause. Poor old Swanson! Then:
"Are you really sending in a sick note, Barnett?"
"Dozens of 'em! I left the service at nine-thirty this morning, relinquished my prospects of promotion, sacrificed my pension at sixty! Isn't it exciting?"
"Been left some money?"
"Not a cent! I've merely found another job."
"You're pulling my leg!"
I detected a distinct note of envy in the exclamation. Even the industrious Swanson felt that he would have been better off in the business world than in the Civil Service.
"I'm an explorer!" I said. "If you're good, I shall send you some tusks and things when I get to Gaboon."
"You don't mean to say that you actually are going to Africa?"