depended upon Perth for the navigation of the Josephine,
when their long-cherished plan should be put in execution.

"I suppose we shall not stay in Holland more than a week."

"No, I hope not. Lowington is afraid we shall all get sick if we stay
here long."

"Havre is just the place for us. It has an open harbor, and we can go to
sea from there without any difficulty. Besides, there's another thing
that will favor us."

"What's that?" asked Wilton.

"All the fellows will go to Paris when the ship is there, and we can
have a first-rate chance to operate while they are gone."

"I don't know about that. Our fellows will all want to go to Paris with
the rest. I want to go there myself," suggested Wilton.

"We may as well give it up, then," added Perth.

"We must see Paris, anyhow."

"I'll tell you what we can do. We can run round through the Straits of
Gibraltar, and up the Mediterranean to Marseilles. From there we can all
go to Paris.".

"That will be a long cruise," said Wilton.

"No matter for that. The longer the better."

"How far is it?"

"Not less than two thousand miles. We could go in ten or fifteen days,"
added Perth, warming up as he anticipated the pleasure of the runaway
cruise. "After we get into the Mediterranean, we can run along the coast
of Spain, go into port as often as we like, and have a first-rate time
generally."

"But don't you suppose Lowington will follow us?"

"No matter if he does. We can beat the Young America on a wind from
Monday morning till Saturday night. If we find the ship is overhauling
us, all we have to do is to hug the wind, and we can give her the slip."

"We haven't money enough to pay the expenses of such a trip," said
Wilton.

"There's plenty of money in the Josephine. But we don't need much. The
vessel has a year's provisions in her hold."

"Salt junk and hard tack," suggested Wilton, who was not partial to this
diet.

"That will do very well while we are at sea; and when we get to Spain we
can buy things cheap. Besides, our fellows are going to raise some money
on their own account," said Perth, in a whisper.

"How's that?" asked the other, curiously.

"Every one of the Knights wrote home to have their folks send them some
money at Paris,--or every one but you and Munroe; and the game was
played out with you and him, for you had some sent to you in London."

"Yes; and Lowington got it," replied Wilton in disgust.

"We fixed it all right. We shall