ired Hastings.

"No; we haven't any orders."

"But Mr. Farnum may be wondering where we are."

"Then the sailors can tell him; they know."

Jack dawdled over his supper.

"Going back to the yard now?" asked Hal.

"No; to the bookstore."

"Hm!" muttered Hal. "I begin to think you're going to keep Mr. Farnum
guessing, to pay him back in his own coin."

"No; I'm going up to the store to pick out a small stack of books. Hal,
I believe we're going on a cruise, and I mean to have something to
read."

"I wonder if you know more than you've told me?" mused Hal, aloud.

"Not a blessed thing. I'm on the guessinglist, and I'm doing the best
I know how at guessing."

Hal didn't say any more, but accompanied his chum to the book-store.
There was a package for each of them to carry when they came out. Then
they headed down, toward the shipyard.

It was well on toward one o'clock by the time that the chums stepped
through the gate into the yard.

"Mr. Farnum is still at his office. That's late for him," remarked Hal.

"Maybe some one has him on the guessinglist, too," laughed Benson

The night watchman came forward out of a shadow.

"Boss wants to see you young gentlemen," announced the watchman.

So Jack and Hal turned in there. As they entered the office a scene of
"solid comfort" met their eyes. Shipbuilder and naval officer were
lounging in easy chairs, smoking Havanas until the air was thick and
white with the smoke.

"Sailing orders, Jack," announced Farnum.

"All right, sir," nodded the young skipper, looking at his watch. "I can
pull out inside of twelve minutes."

"But you don't have to," laughed Farnum. "You have until morning.
Where do you suppose you're going?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Curious, Jack?"

"I don't care where we're going," Benson smiled back. "When it's a
matter of business all parts of the earth look alike to me."

Lieutenant Danvers laughed heartily.

"Benson, lad," exclaimed the naval officer, "you've got the real make-up
to serve in the Navy. It's a pity we had to lose you."

"Don't be too sure yet, sir, that the Navy has escaped having me,"
smiled back Skipper Jack.

"You don't start until eight in the morning," went on the shipbuilder.
"Pollard got back this evening, and he goes with us. We take both the
'Benson' and the 'Hastings.' Eph will have to command one of the boats,
I suppose?"

"Yes, sir; and he'll have to be notified at once, too," replied the
y