"You shall," replied Lindsley.
"Very well; I will do the best I can," answered Raymond, modestly. "I am to say, very respectfully, that the fellows are dissatisfied with the idea of going to sea, and giving up the trip to the Rhine."
"Yes; and we respectfully request that the principal will make good his promise to take us into Germany," added Hyde.
"Don't you mean to say anything about the letters to our fathers, asking them to take us away from the ship?" inquired Lindsley.
"That looks a little like a threat," objected Raymond. "Besides, we don't know how many fellows will agree to send such letters."
"Let us go round and see," suggested Lindsley.
"We will, if there is time."
As the record of the preceding chapter testifies, there was an abundance of time to carry out this or any other preliminary measure. Raymond and Lindsley proceeded to canvass the rebels in regard to the letters. The eighteen runaways were ready to assent to anything, but only about half of the others were willing to give in their allegiance to what they regarded as a mean scheme. Some even declared they would back out if anything of this sort was to be attempted. Raymond was politic enough not to press the measure very hard, and he returned to his room with the names of only thirty, instead of fifty, which he had expected to obtain.
"That's enough to make a show with," said Lindsley.
"But I don't intend to say anything about the letters to the principal, if he is willing to do the fair thing by us."