deal about it. Father taught us both, but I don't think
he's as fond of machines as I am."

The Count laughed. It sounded strange to him to hear a small boy talk of
machinery so eagerly. He could not doubt the boy's earnestness, however.
He had watched him for several days and had just examined his plans. The
boy evidently meant what he said.

"Well, John, you're certainly a remarkable lad. I shouldn't wonder if
you'd the making of a genius in you." He considered a few minutes, and
then went on. "We need some engineers here to show these stupid soldiers
what to do. How'd you like to try such a job?"

The boy jumped from his seat in his excitement. "I'd like it very much,
sir. Do you mean to tell the men what to do, and to have real tools to
work with?"

Count Platen smiled. "Yes, to have entire charge of a part of the work.
That's what I mean. I really think you could do it. How old are you,
John?"

"I'll be fourteen very soon."

"Hm," mused the Count, "It seems absurd to put a boy of fourteen in
charge of six hundred soldiers. And yet if he has the skill to do the
work, why not? And there's small doubt that he has. Well, John, I'll see
what can be done. Meet me here to-morrow morning."

The next day Count Platen found John anxiously awaiting him. He told the
boy at once that his plan had proved successful, and that both John and
Nils were to be enrolled as cadets in the mechanical corps of the
Swedish navy, and that John was to be put in charge of part of the canal
building. The boy was highly delighted; he knew that now he should have
a chance to try in actual working some of the inventions he had planned
on paper. As soon as he had thanked his kind friend the Count he ran
home to tell his mother the news of Nils' and his good fortune.

It was a curious sight when the officer in command of the troops placed
six hundred soldiers in charge of young John Ericsson. They were too
well trained to laugh, but they were tremendously surprised when they
saw that their future orders were to come from this small, curly-haired
lad just barely turned fourteen. Olof Ericsson himself was scarcely less
surprised than the men; he knew his son's great mechanical ability, but
he could hardly believe that others had come to realize it so soon.

A few days of actual work on the canal, however proved that Count Platen
had made no mistake. John knew what ought to be done, and he could show
the soldiers new and better ways of getti