“Our fourth passenger!” whispered Edison.
“You don’t mean that the Crown Prince is going with us?”
The inventor nodded.
I learned afterwards that only at the eleventh hour did the imperial prisoner decide to accept General Wood’s invitation to join this memorable expedition.
“I have come, General,” said the Prince, saluting gravely, “because I feel that my presence here with you may enable me to serve my country.”
“I am convinced Your Imperial Highness has decided wisely,” answered the commander-in-chief, returning the salute.
An hour later, at the head of one of the aerial squadrons that stretched behind us in a great V, we were flying over snow-covered fields at eighty miles an hour, headed for the Atlantic and the German fleet. Our seaplanes, the most powerful yet built of the Curtiss-Wright 1922 model, carried eight men, including three that I have not mentioned, a wireless operator, an assistant pilot and a general utility man who also served as cook. Two cabins offered surprisingly comfortable accommodations, considering the limited space, and we ate our first meal with keen relish.
“We have provisions for how many days?” asked the Crown Prince.
“For six days,” said General Wood.
“But, surely not oil for six days!”