to
start a museum."

"Hardly," laughed Mr. Critchfield. "He said he wanted to give them to
some Explorers' Club in New York. That means they'll have to be well
done, Howard. I want you to be a credit to him if he takes you on this
trip."

"I will." Howard nodded with confident air. "Just let me get a chance!
How's the scholarship? Hear anything yet?"

"Got her cinched," replied Burt happily. "Well, guess I'll get back. See
you to-morrow!"

For the next week the question of the African trip was left undecided.
When Burt had received his definite announcement of the scholarship,
dependent on his next year's work, Mr. Wallace urged that the matter be
brought to a decision one way or the other. On the following Saturday
evening Mr. Critchfield and Howard arrived at the St. John residence and
the "Board of Directors went into executive session," as the explorer
laughingly said.

"There's one thing to be considered," announced Mr. Critchfield. "That's
the length of your absence. Next year is Howard's last year in high
school and I wouldn't like his course to be smashed up." Mr. St. John
nodded approval and all looked at Mr. Wallace expectantly.

"I anticipated that," he replied quietly. "I saw Mr. Garwood, the
superintendent of schools, yesterday. I told him just what we wanted to
do and asked him about Burt's scholarship. School will not begin till
the twentieth of September. He said if you boys were back by November
and could make up a reasonable amount of work he'd make an exception in
your cases owing to your good records. I'm fairly confident that we'll
be back by November."

"I don't see how," interposed Mr. St. John. "I've been reading up on
Stanley's journeys in that country and--"

"Hold on!" laughed Mr. Wallace. "Please remember, Tom, that Stanley made
his trips in the eighties--nearly thirty-five years ago. Where it took
him months to penetrate we can go in hours and days. This is the end of
June. By the first of August we'll be steaming up the Congo. I don't
think it'll take us two months to cross from the Aruwimi to the Makua
and reach French territories. In any case, I intend to return direct
from Loango, a port in the French Congo. We'll come down the river under
the French flag in a French steamer, turn the corner to Loango and
there'll be a steamer there waiting to bring us and our stuff direct to
New York. I'm almost sure we'll be back by November."

"Even if we aren't," put in Howard, "it'll on