" he added with a grin.

"No, thank you," retorted the Banker with emphasis.

"I think we might as well try it again," said the Big Business Man.

The Very Young Man took one of the tiny lizards from the box, and in a
moment they had dropped some water containing the drug down its throat.
"Try to put him on the scratch, too," said the Very Young Man.

When the lizard was small enough the Doctor held it with the callipers
and then laid it on the ring.

"Look at him walk; look at him walk," whispered the Very Young Man
excitedly. The lizard, hardly more than an eighth of an inch long now,
but still plainly visible, was wriggling along the top of the ring.
"Shove him up by the scratch," he added.

In a moment more the reptile was too small for any but the Doctor with
his glass to see. "I guess he got there," he said finally with a smile,
as he straightened up. "He was going fast."

"Well, _that's_ all right," said the Very Young Man with a sigh of
relief.

The four men again seated themselves; the Big Business Man went back to
his figures.

"When do you start?" asked the Banker after a moment.

"November 4th--8 P. M.," answered the Doctor. "Three weeks from
to-night."

"We've a lot to do," said the Banker.

"What will this cost, do you figure?" asked the Big Business Man,
looking up from his notes.

The Doctor considered a moment.

"We can't take much with us, you know," he said slowly. Then he
took a sheet of memoranda from his pockets. "I have already spent
for apparatus and chemicals to prepare the drugs"--he consulted his
figures--"seventeen hundred and forty dollars, total. What we have still
to spend will be very little, I should think. I propose we divide it
three ways as we have been doing with the Museum?"

"Four ways," said the Very Young Man. "I'm no kid any more. I got a good
job--that is," he added with a rueful air, "I had a good job. To-morrow
I quit."

"Four ways," the Doctor corrected himself gravely. "I guess we can
manage that."

"What can we take with us, do you think?" asked the Big Business Man.

"I think we should try strapping a belt around our waists, with pouches
in it," said the Doctor. "I doubt if it would contract with our bodies,
but still it might. If it didn't there would be no harm done; we could
leave it behind."

"You want food and water," said the Banker. "Remember that barren
country you are going through."

"And something on our feet," the Big Business Man pu