"I see. And you will wait till some seasoned explorer kindly asks you to join him? You'll have to wait a precious long time."
"I'm not so sure," said Dick Compton, with a knowing smile.
"Have you found your explorer, Dick?" shouted Venning, eagerly.
Compton produced a leather purse and extracted a slip of paper cut from an advertisement column, and passed it to his friend.
"By Jove! eh, that's splendid!" spluttered Venning, in his excitement as he glanced at the paper.
"Read it over."
Venning read the notice—
"A GENTLEMAN, who is an experienced traveler, being about to enter upon an expedition into Central Africa, would like to make arrangements with two young men of education and of means to bear a share of the expenses to accompany him.—Apply, for further particulars, to D. H., No. 109 Box, Office of this paper."
"Let us write at once to D. H.," he said eagerly.
"I have seen him."