Page:In wild Africa - Adventures of two youths in a journey through the Sahara desert.djvu/16

8 Edward, the latter a bright, intelligent youth seventeen years of age, and better known as "Ned.” Mr. Whitney was a bachelor, and had a great fondness for travel and exploration. He had visited all parts of the world, spent a winter in the Arctic regions, ascended great mountains in all the continents, and lived and traveled among savage tribes of people in Asia and South America, and lived for several months among the aboriginals of Australia. He had a large collection of curiosities which he had gathered in his journeys, and used to say playfully that when he got tired of traveling he intended to open a museum and hang himself up in a showcase as one of the objects of attraction and surprise.

The nephews whom we have mentioned were the sons of Mr. Whitney’s brothers, who were also residents of New York. One of these brothers was a merchant and the other a lawyer, and neither of them had shown any fondness for travel. But they were willing that their boys should see something of the world, and before the date of the conversation with which our story opens they had consented that the enterprising youths should accompany their uncle in his journey into Africa. Neither Ned nor Harry had been consulted in the preliminaries, but what boy is likely to say ‘«no” when asked if he would like to go and see foreign lands ?

Ned hurried away to find Harry and break the exciting news to him. You may be sure that both the boys were on hand at Mr. Whitney’s bachelor apartment at the time indicated on the following day, and that Harry’s answer was an emphatic ‘* Yes!” �