"I rather hoped they would," replied Mr. Henderson. "We need two more hands if we are to make the trip. They need not be machinists, but we will have to have someone, and I don't like to get strangers. They might talk too much about the ship." At that instant there came a rap on the door. Washington answered it. "Yas sir, Perfesser Henderson done lib here," he replied, in answer to a question from some one. "But he am bery busy jest at de present occasioness an' he'll be most extremely discommodated if yo' obtrude yo' presence on him at de conglomeration ob de statutory limitations, which am to say right now. Come again!" "It's the same old Washington!" said someone outside, laughing heartily. "Just you tell the professor we want to see him most particular." At the sound of the voice the professor started and Mark and Jack wondered where they had heard it before. "Show the gentlemen in, Washington," called the inventor. "Dere's two ob 'em," objected the colored man. "Show them both in, then." Washington opened the door of the cabin, and in came two men, who seemed much amused over something. "What can I do for you?" asked the professor, in rather a sharp voice. "He don't know us either, Tom," remarked the taller of the two. "If it ain't Bill Jones and Tom Smith!" exclaimed Andy Sudds. "Wa'al I'll be horn swoggled. Where'd ye come from?" "Right from the farm," replied Bill. "And we've had a hard job locating you. I guess Washington didn't know us since we raised beards," and Bill stroked his wealth of brown whiskers. "And I guess we sort of fooled the professor," went on Bill, "eh, Tom?" "Right!" said Tom. "You see," he went on, "the farming business is almost over, as its coming on fall now, so Bill and I thought it would be a good time to hunt up the professor. We heard he was down in this neighborhood so we come by easy stages. We didn't have any time to stop and make our toilets, hence our beards." "You've come at the right time," remarked the inventor, as he came forward to welcome the two young men. "Do you remember the trip you made with me to the north pole?" "I guess we'll not forget it in a hurry," replied Bill. "That's what made us hunt you up," put in Tom. "We hoped you might have something similar on foot." "I have," answered the inventor. "What is it?" "A trip under the ocean!" For an instant the two young men hesitated. It was a new proposition to them. Yet they recalled that they had come safely back from the journey through the air. "Do you want to go along as part of the crew?" asked the inventor, after some further conversation. "You can count on me!" cried Bill. "And if Bill goes I'll go too!" exclaimed Tom. "Under the seas or over the seas, it'll be all one to us if Professor Henderson sails the ship!" went on Bill. "We'll go!" "Good!" ejaculated the professor. "You certainly came at just the right time."