“About taking you as a passenger,” Dan went on. “You’ll go as my guest, if you favor me to that extent. I spoke to the flag lieutenant about it, and he said that your orders would not be ready for two or three weeks yet, and that you will have plenty of time to sail with me if you so desire, and be back in time for your new detail. Do you want to go?”
[CHAPTER XV—DAN’S TURN TO GRIN]
“Stop your nonsense, Danny-boy, if you’ll be so good. Of course you know that I want to go with you. But can’t you tell me something about the ‘Prince’?”
“Not a word,” Dan protested.
“Or the kind of work in which your ship is going to engage?”
“Not a word!” Dan Dalzell laughed merrily. “Will you go?”
“Yes; of course, old chum.”
“I thought you would,” Dan continued, “so I took the liberty of obtaining official permission for you to go along with me. Here it is, over the admiral’s signature.”
Dave eagerly scanned the official-looking, typewritten sheet. It was simply a written permission, and gave not the slightest clew to the nature of Dan’s new venture.
“Dan Dalzell, I believe that you’re going to keep me on the guessing rack,” Dave declared.