"Oh! you didn't have to say more than one word to tell me that," answered the patrol leader with a laugh. "Why, the minute you opened your mouth you gave it all away. But I'm mighty glad you convinced your folks, Andy."
"At first father looked kind of glum, and shook his head as though he wouldn't hear of such a thing," continued the other joyously. "But I took your advice, and just started in to tell the whole yarn. I could see his face keep getting lighter the further I went, till at the end he shook me by the hand, and says he: 'Andy, I don't mean to refuse you any reasonable thing; and while I'll worry a lot if you go down there to that troubled country, still, it's in a good cause. And if Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Blake, and Mr. Crawford give their sons permission, I reckon I'll have to do the same. I've found that scouts learn how to take care of themselves no matter where they happen to be!' And so that's settled. How about you?"
"Oh! there wasn't any trouble," replied Rob proudly. "Dad asked me a lot of questions, and then said he was willing to trust me anywhere. He's the finest dad that ever lived, barring none! Now, we're only waiting to hear from Merritt."
"Well, you won't have to wait long, then," said a hearty voice just over Rob's shoulder; and glancing up he saw the other chum, who had reached the door of the room unobserved, even while the excited confab over the wire was in progress.
"There's no need of my asking what luck you've had, Merritt, my boy," chuckled Rob, "because you carry the map on your face. It's all right, do I hear you say?"
"I should say, yes," hastily replied the other with a happy grin that told how much his boyish heart was wrapped up in this grand project.
"Why, I didn't have any trouble at all. Father simply said that while he hardly approved of four lads like us going down into that country where neighbor was warring with neighbor, and everything torn upside-down, still, it would be a shame if Tubby's old uncle, whom he has met, should lose all he had when there was a chance to save it. And so he told me that if the other boys received permission to go, he wouldn't throw anything in the way. You know, Rob, father has a heap of respect for the opinion of your dad."
"Good for you, Merritt," Rob rejoined. "I've been talking with Andy, and everything is lovely over there at his house. I'm holding the wire, and just wait till I tell him to come over here on the jump. He'd better pick up Tubby on the way, because we want to talk things over once more, so as to know just what we ought to take along with us."
This was speedily arranged; and within ten minutes the other two members of the Eagle Patrol bustled in, out of breath with the exertion they had put forth in order to save time.
Then the tongues began to wag, and all sorts of suggestions came thick and fast. It seemed as though everybody had been thinking up ideas, as well as getting new ones from outsiders, mostly fellow members of the troop to whom the subject of the great expedition was mentioned.