ned dot you chentlemans
vas lookin' for a fine, fast ship. Und I have chust dot!"

As he made this announcement Captain von Kluck smiled a wide look of
friendship at the entire party. It was a wonderful smile, beginning at
the tiny wrinkles surrounding the corners of his eyes. From there it
spread all over his face, gradually distorting the features until, as
Jimmie afterward declared, the boys were forced to smile in spite of
themselves.

"And where does your fine ship go, Captain von Kluck?" asked Ned.

"Chust vherefer you vant to go!" declared the captain solemnly. "Me, I am
a goot navigator, und mine mate he is, too, a goot von!"

"We want to go to New York," continued Ned. "If you can arrange to
furnish us passage to that port, we'll pay you well."

To this the captain answered by spreading his hands and shrugging his
shoulders until they nearly reached his ears. Over his beaming face
spread a look of despair. He slowly shook his head.

"To New York I cannot go!" he answered dolefully. "Bud I vill put you
ashore in England, und from dere you can easy get a ship!"

"Well, that's better than nothing at all!" admitted Ned.

"Sure!" declared Jimmie. "Anything to get out of this place!"

"When can you be ready to sail, Captain?" inquired Ned.

"Who, me?" questioned the captain in a tone of surprise.

"Nobody else but you, your crew and we boys!" laughed Ned.

"Sure! Dot's all ridt!" nodded von Kluck. "Vhell, I'm ready now. Yet I
haf some cheeses on board to put, und some odder tings!"

"Can you accommodate the boxes containing our airship?" asked Jimmie. "We
have the Grey Eagle over here at the railroad station and don't want to
leave it behind us when we leave the country."

"Maybe it vould on de schip go!" consented von Kluck.

"Hurrah!" exultantly cried the lads. "That's fine!"

"How big is your ship, Captain?" asked Ned, "and what's her name?"

"Mine schip is der Lena Knobloch!" smiled the captain. "Dot's vot you
English beoples call garlic. Und id vas a goot schip alreaty!"

"Well, then," suggested Ned, "suppose the captain takes supper here as
our guest. Two of us will remain with him to arrange details while the
other two hasten away and get a truck to take the boxes to the dock. Can
you give us directions for reaching the vessel, Captain?"

"Sure," assented the captain, seating himself. "Und I know a man vot
vould haul your goots, too. I get him," he added.

"In that case, we'll all go over