“I’ll have to undertake to arrange that,” volunteered the manager. “Our men in London ought to have enough influence to get a special permit.”
“That’s a point that’ll have to be covered in the contract or memorandum,” suggested Major Honeywell. “The boys being strangers to London can not undertake to guarantee this privilege to themselves. If detained by some power beyond their control, the project might fail through no fault of theirs. This contingency should be anticipated.”
“I concede that,” said the Herald representative. “And yet, naturally, an accident of that kind would defeat the main purpose of the project. We might be paying our money for a practical failure.”
“Why not arrange a sliding scale of compensation?” suggested Major Honeywell.
“Don’t misunderstand me,” continued the editor smiling. “The mere crossing of the Atlantic on a mission for the Herald is valuable advertising. But, since so much depends on the time of the return trip, I’d like to make an extra incentive, if possible, for its exact fulfillment.”
“In other words,” exclaimed Ned, “you feel that part of the responsibility of successfully getting away on the return trip ought to be on us.”
“Perhaps that is the plain way of putting it,” announced the editor.
“I don’t know but what that’s fair,” responded Ned. “It’ll make us stir our stumps at least. Let’s make it a sliding scale.”
“On that basis,” said the journalist quickly, “I’ll make a better offer than I submitted last night—I’ll add $10,000 if the scale covers both the east and west voyages. What do you suggest?”
Major Honeywell was already figuring. In a few moments he read the following: “For picking up Telegram matrices from Herald sea tug on East River between 2 P. M. and 2:20 P. M. Thursday, June 21, and carrying them by aeroplane for the Herald directly to European soil within not more than eighteen hours, the sum of $25,000; for delivering the same, within the same period, in England, $10,000 in addition; for delivering the same within the same period into the hands of the Herald representatives in Hyde Park, London, $5,000 in addition. For conveying from London, between the hours of 1:30 P. M. (London time) June 22 and 2 A. M. (New York time) June 23, three representatives of the Herald and delivering the same within ten miles of the Herald office, the further sum of $25,000. In case of a failure to carry out the conditions of the last clause, the party of the second part is to receive a bonus of $5,000 if the representatives of the Herald are delivered on American soil within twenty-four hours.”