"Do you feel better?" asked the professor, anxiously, as he came forward and felt of the boys' pulses.
"A great deal," answered Jack. "But what has happened? Where are we?
What are all these wheels for?"
"Slowly, slowly," said the old man with a pleasant laugh. "One question at a time. For the first: what happened was a railroad wreck."
"I remember now," said Jack, slowly. "We tried to stop the cars."
"And you didn't succeed very well," went on the old man. "However, the sand bank did it for you, and stopped you two at the same time. As for your second question, you are here in my shop. As to the third, those wheels are parts of my great invention. But I will tell you about that after a while. I must give you some medicine now, and something to eat. Here, Washington!"
"Comin', Perfessor!"
Jack and Mark were more surprised than before when they saw a big colored man, seemingly as strong as an ox, coming toward them with two steaming bowls of beef broth. Washington was grinning with delight.
"Dis am de best beef stew dat eber transpositioned itself into yo' vicinity!" he exclaimed, setting the bowls down on a table near the bed.
"Now, Washington," cautioned the old man. "No big words, remember."
"All right, Perfessor," was the answer.