“How did you get in with Captain Eaton and the _Carefree_?” Patch wanted to know. “A few years ago I took time to go to school and learn space-ship engineering and design,” Ben replied. “My teacher was Captain Eaton—or Professor Eaton, as he was called then. He was also a millionaire and president of Space Shipping Incorporated. He helped build the sturdiest ships ever to fly the solar system. I graduated stone broke and had to go back to flying the spaceways. “I thought I’d never be an engineer or designer, but then Professor Eaton got in touch with me and said he was going to design a space ship for his own use. He said I was the best pupil he had ever taught and asked if I would work with him on the project. Of course I jumped at the idea. We assembled the ship out here in space, and I’ve been with him ever since.” “Captain Eaton is a grand person, isn’t he?” Garry asked. A fond look came into Ben’s dark eyes. “He’s the wisest, kindest, and most generous person I’ve ever known or heard about. You may think he selfishly spends all his money for his own enjoyment as he cruises the spaceways, but that isn’t the case. He gives far more than he spends out here to charities and churches back on earth. And he has built countless scientific libraries, but he’s too modest to let them be named after himself.” “The _Carefree_ is such a big ship, Ben,” Patch said, “that I don’t understand how it can be run by so few men.” “It’s due to the captain’s genius,” Ben explained. “Practically everything you can think of is automatic, and our batteries are constantly recharged by sunlight. Of course, once in a while something goes wrong, and we have to dock at a repair satellite. And we also have to refuel about every six months at a service station. But we don’t use very much fuel ordinarily because we mostly just cruise about in the ‘satellite zone,’ as it’s called.” Ben had to go back to work, and the boys joined Captain Eaton in the library, where he was waiting for a TV newscast to come on. Garry and Patch got the shock of their lives at the first feature to come over the telecast. For the subjects were _themselves_. They quickly discovered that they were the most celebrated missing persons on earth. The orphanage had first reported their absence, and then Mr. Mulroy had given his version of their disappearance. It seemed that Mr. Mulroy was in very hot water because he had not made sure that the boys had gotten off the _Orion_ before the blast-off. In fact, he was in such hot water that he faced court-martial unless Garry and Patch were found. “Well, I guess the vacation is over, Patch,” Garry said sadly. “We can’t let Mr. Mulroy be court-martialed for what we did.” “We’ve got to tell them where we are, haven’t we?” Patch replied. “Although I’d give _anything_ to stay aboard the _Carefree_—that is, if Captain Eaton would have us.”