“There’s no place quite like home,” chimed in his father with a smile.
“Especially with a trip to Africa in prospect,” Bob added.
“Ah! That accounts for your ardent desire to leave, does it?” asked Mr. Lewis. “I wondered why you made that remark about wanting to get back to Washington.”
Bob and Joe smiled.
“That partly accounts for it,” came from Joe. “But, honestly, Dad, you don’t blame us, do you?”
The youth hoped to corner his father, but the latter was more clever than he had imagined.
“Not in the least,” Mr. Lewis answered quickly. “I would want to go to Africa if I were you.”
Again the boys found themselves “stumped,” and again they were forced to drop the matter regarding the expedition to the Dark Continent. They could only hope for the best, remarked Bob as that night he retired.
Early the next morning the chums and their fathers were up making preparations for the journey across the continent. They had everything in readiness by eight o’clock.
In the hotel garage they were shown to Mr. Holton’s sedan. A porter had followed them with their grips, which were placed in the car’s trunk.