“Can I trust you to keep somethings to yourselves if I tell you what I am do in Amerique?” asked the aviator.
“Of course, but if you don’t wish—— I didn’t mean to appear inquisitive,” Jack hastened to say.
“Zat is all right, my friend!” exclaimed de Garros. “You save my life. I should be ungrateful if I seemed secretive wiz you. I have been in Amerique buying and shipping aeroplanes to France from one of your manufacturers.”
“But I thought France already had a powerful air fleet,” said Bill.
The little aviator’s next words were astonishing to the boys, who shared the common impression about the French strength in the air.
“Before many days are past we shall need all and more aeroplanes than we have,” he said. “I wish we had twice as many. But I can say no more now. But my advice to you is to watch zee wireless closely. You are going abroad on pleasure?”
“Yes, we thought we’d earned a vacation,” said Jack.
The little Frenchman’s rejoinder was a shrug and a smile.
“Your vacation may be what you Americans call a ‘strenuous one,’” he said meaningly, and with an emphasis the boys could not fathom. “By the way, on board this ship I am Jules Campion. There are reasons for my real name being unknown for the present. Au revoir, I go to arrange my luggage. We shall meet again.”
And he was gone, leaving the boys to exchange puzzled glances.