“I will explain everything, my dear boy,” declared his companion. “And then, if you wish to hold enmity against me—— But come to my cabin. We are likely to be disturbed here.”
This was true enough. Officers and soldiers were constantly passing along the “alley” of the ship, and Ned was kept busy saluting, while several of his acquaintances, coming back from their mess, looked curiously at him and his companion.
To the very same cabin in front of which two marines had been on guard and within which Ned and his chums had once seen Professor Snodgrass, Dr. Hallet now led the Motor Boy. And it needed but a single glance around it to disclose to Ned one fact, at least.
This was that Dr. Hallet was a rival of Professor Snodgrass—or, if not a rival, then a scientist engaged in the same pursuits.
For there were the same sort of specimen boxes, microscopes, notebooks, and other materials scattered about as always marked the abiding place of Professor Snodgrass. There were even live bugs crawling in cases, and Ned recognized one or two as exactly similar to some he had helped Professor Snodgrass catch at different times.
“Now if you will sit down, my boy, I’ll begin to explain,” said Dr. Hallet. “It will take some little time, but I am sure at the end you will have a different feeling toward me.”
“I may, but I’m going to be perfectly frank, and tell you I have my doubts!” declared Ned. “You can start explaining whenever you are ready,” and he let his hand swing around behind him as he took a seat, making sure that his pistol was within ready reach.
“In the first place,” began Dr. Hallet, “I want to say that I—— Oh, I nearly forgot! I haven’t fed my fleas!”
Ned nearly laughed aloud, this was so like what Professor Snodgrass might have said. Dr. Hallet quickly arose, and, going over to a tiny green box, opened the top and sprinkled something in. He then quickly closed the receptacle.
“Have to be sharp with fleas,” he said. “These have bitten persons afflicted with trench fever and mustard gas poisoning, and I am going to make a test to see if those diseases are capable of being transmitted by the bite of insects. I don’t want any of these infected fleas to get on you.”