A Welcome Announcement
"Well, boys, we're leaving San Francisco tomorrow," said Mr. Lewis as
he greeted the chums late that afternoon.
"I'll be glad to get back to Washington," remarked Bob. "Of course,
I've had a good time here--saw a lot of interesting sights and the
like. But, after all----"
"There's no place quite like home," chimed in his father with a smile.
"Especially with a trip to Africa in prospect," Bob added.
"Ah! That accounts for your ardent desire to leave, does it?" asked
Mr. Lewis. "I wondered why you made that remark about wanting to get
back to Washington."
Bob and Joe smiled.
"That partly accounts for it," came from Joe. "But, honestly, Dad, you
don't blame us, do you?"
The youth hoped to corner his father, but the latter was more clever
than he had imagined.
"Not in the least," Mr. Lewis answered quickly. "I would want to go to
Africa if I were you."
Again the boys found themselves "stumped," and again they were forced
to drop the matter regarding the expedition to the Dark Continent.
They could only hope for the best, remarked Bob as that night he
retired.
Early the next morning the chums and their fathers were up making
preparations for the journey across the continent. They had everything
in readiness by eight o'clock.
In the hotel garage they were shown to Mr. Holton's sedan. A porter
had followed them with their grips, which were placed in the car's
trunk.
The chums gazed out fondly at the last views they got of San
Francisco. Then they settled themselves down for the long ride.
Nothing of significance happened during the journey, and at last,
after stops had been made at Denver, Kansas City, and a small city in
Kentucky, they pulled into Washington.
At their homes, which were located next door to each other, the four
received a warm welcome from the youths' mothers, Joe's sister, and
Bob's small brother.
"I sure enjoyed our stay in San Francisco," remarked Bob that
evening, as he sat on the porch with his father and chum.
"Especially right at this time," put in Joe. "I'm glad to get back."
"Why right at this time?" inquired Mr. Holton.
"Because," explained Joe, "there's a circus in town. And as I haven't
been to a circus for quite a while, I'm going. How about you, Bob?"
"It's a go," said Bob at once. "Let's you and I drive over tomorrow in
my new coupé. It's a pip, all right."
"What, the circus, or the car?" grinned Mr. Holton.
"Well, I don't know about the circus," said Bob. "But I know the car
is. Anyway, I'd like to take a look at wild animals that were brought
from Africa. Lions, leopards, and the like. Don't you and Mr. Lewis
want to go, Dad? We can put you in the rumble seat."
"Rumble seat, huh? Hmm. I'd want better service than that." The
naturalist viewed his son critically though with twinkling eyes. "No,
we men won't go to the circus," he added with a grin. "But you boys
can."
"Listen to that!" cried Bob, squaring his powerful shoulders. "I guess
you men enjoy it about as much as anybody does. Now, you might," he
went on, struck with a sudden thought, "take Tommy. Of course, he'd
like it. That would give you an excuse to go."
"Maybe your little brother would rather play baseball," suggested Mr.
Holton. "He finds that interesting now, you know."
"Nix," countered Bob. "Tommy's all for a circus. He'd rather see the
wild animals than eat. And to tell the truth, Dad," he added
mischievously, "you're about the same way. Don't deny it, now."
Mr. Holton smiled.
"I see you're putting me up a tree," he said. "But say!"--in a tone of
dismay--"come to think of it, Tommy is going to Baltimore with his
mother tomorrow."
The naturalist's face was a perfect picture of disappointment. Bob and
Joe burst out in loud laughter, and Bob gave his father a shove.
"Now who can you take?" Bob chuckled, very much amused at Mr. Holton's
plight.
"That settles it," the naturalist said. "Ben and I won't go. We have
some work in the museum that must be attended to, anyway."
Bob gave his father an odd glance, and then, at a call of "dinner,"
the little party disbanded.
The circus was on its second day in the city, and because of several
unusual attractions was receiving considerable attention. One thing
being featured was an immense gorilla which had just recently been
brought from western Africa. It was supposedly the largest specimen in
captivity.
The next morning Bob and Joe left for the circus grounds. There they
found that a large crowd had already gathered to gain admittance.
"Suppose we go to the menagerie tent first," suggested Bob. "We have
some time yet before the performance opens. I want to take a look at
that big gorilla."
"And if what we've heard is true, he's a whopper."
This was no exaggeration, as the chums found a little later. The big
ape seemed the very personification of power. His huge chest was
several times as big as a man's. His long large arms looked capable of
crushing an enemy into a shapeless mass. The little beady eyes were
defiant, moving from one to another of the spectators.
"How would you like to meet that fellow in a wrestling match?" said
Bob with a laugh.
Joe smiled unwillingly.
"He wouldn't leave a grease spot of you," he said. "Fifteen or twenty
champion wrestlers wouldn't have the slightest chance in the world
with him."
There was a far-away look in Bob's eyes, which Joe noticed as he
happened to turn about.
"What's got into you?" the latter asked. "You look like a great
scientist that's just made a wonderful discovery."
Bob roused himself and laughed.
"I was just thinking," he said.
"About what?"
"Africa. Gorillas like this fellow here. Lions. Wild elephants. Tall
forest giants. Adventure."
"Wow!" cried Joe. "You'll have me running around in circles. You
know," he went on more seriously, "it's up to us to get our dads in
the notion of going to Africa very soon now. And we'll have to make
them let us go along. They----"
He stopped abruptly and smiled sheepishly as he caught sight of two
men standing beside him. Those men were none other than Mr. Lewis and
Mr. Holton.
"What th----" cried Bob, who had also seen.
"Didn't expect to find us here, did you?" asked Mr. Holton with a
grin.
"And you said you weren't coming!" roared Bob. He looked about.
"Tommy didn't come," his father said. "He went with his mother. But,"
with a glance at Mr. Lewis, "Ben and I decided to take a look at this
whale of a gorilla here. What do you think of him, boys?"
"Biggest I've ever seen," came from Joe. "Wonder how he was captured."
"It wasn't an easy job," said Mr. Lewis. "I once saw natives in Africa
capture a gorilla. Was in the Mountains of the Moon. They used a
peculiar trap consisting of a circular hole in the ground. When the
animal fell into the hole, a noose was tightened around its neck."
"You say you were there?" asked Bob. "How long ago has it been?"
"A good many years--four, to be exact. Howard and I went together on a
big expedition. We brought back several unusual specimens of animal
life."
"Then," began Bob with a smile, "you'll probably go again in the next
few days, won't you? Back in San Francisco you said you were going."
Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton exchanged amused glances.
"Shall we tell them, Ben?" asked Bob's father.
"Tell us what?" cried Joe, sensing that something was in the wind.
"Simply that we're leaving for Africa Friday," was the quiet answer
from Mr. Lewis.