“I believe you said you were willing to put up some money in this affair yourself,” said Fred’s father.
“I’m willing to put up every cent I can rake and scrape together,” answered the captain quickly. “That amounts to seven thousand dollars.”
“How much money do you think you ought to have to see it through successfully?”
“Well, we’ve got to charter a vessel and take along a professional diver or two and perhaps take along a diving bell, too. We may have to do a lot of exploring before we hit the right spot and we may have to use dragnets and things like that. Also we’ll have to have a competent crew and proper provisions, and all those things nowadays cost real money. I have figured out that we ought to have a backing of at least twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“That means that you want eighteen thousand dollars in addition to what you can raise yourself?” questioned Jack.
“Yes.”
“Eighteen thousand dollars divided between the four of us fellows would be four thousand five hundred dollars apiece!” cried Randy. “I’d be willing to put up that much right now!”
“Ditto here!” said his brother.
“So would I be willing to put it up!” cried Fred. “But I’d want to go on the hunt too.”
“Oh, of course, we’d want to go along!” came simultaneously from the twins.