"Is he an old man?" asked Hal. "Not very," Jack answered. "Perhaps not old enough to know better. Anyway, if I were going to a foreign government, Germany would be about the last country. Germany is our rival in building a large navy. About every other month the experts in Germany sit down to figure whether they are anything ahead of us in the tonnage of warships, and, if so, whether there is any danger of our catching up with them. Now, unless the Germans have a notion that they may need, to fight us one of these days--" "Oh, I don't believe anything of that sort," broke in Hal, shaking his head. "I don't believe any country in the world is aching to pick a quarrel with us." "Not while the United States pocket-book is such a fat one, and so well built for paying war expenses," grinned Eph. Then his look became more solemn, as he added: "But we don't want ever to get into a naval condition where it will be easy for some other country to snatch that fat pocket-book out of our hands." "Let's go along, fellows. Drowning and confusion to all possible foes afloat," proposed Hal, the one who could never see "war" on the horizon. "After a winter on hot sodas, it'll be a relief to know that the druggist put in icecream soda to-day." So the three boys turned and made their way to the drugstore. While they were exploring with spoons the bottoms of their glasses, the street door opened. Herr Professor Radberg looked in, then came in, beaming condescendingly on the young men. "Ach! You young men are just the ones I wish to see," he exclaimed, resting one hand on Eph's shoulder, the other on Hal's. "Lots of folks will pay for that privilege," declared Eph, solemnly. "Yes? Well, I will pay, too--you shall see. I shall look for you at the hotel, in just one hour. One hour--remember." "Have you a telescope?" inquired Eph, calmly. "A telescope. Eh?" inquired the German. "What for?" "You might need it in looking for us," Eph replied. "Then, in one hour, I shall see you--at the hotel!" "You'll be lucky, if you do," grinned Eph. "Eh? I do not know that I understand," responded Herr Professor Radberg, slowly. "If you're figuring on seeing us," Eph went on, gravely, "I'm afraid you're in for bad news." "Bad news? Ach! What do you mean, young man?" "Just what I said," replied Eph. Professor Radberg looked so puzzled that Hal Hastings broke in, quietly: "Professor, unless I'm much in error, you want to see us about a proposition that we enter the German naval service." "Hush! Not so loud," warned Radberg, looking suspiciously around. "There's nothing we have to keep quiet about," Hal went on. "You have already spoken to our captain, Jack Benson, about this matter." "Ach! Yes." "And Jack has refused." "Your captain is a fool!" cried the German. "Then we serve a fool, because he's our captain," retorted Hal, quietly, though there was a flash in his eyes.