"That's all settled," said Mr. Whitney; "and now we'll come down to the business of starting."
"We'll do anything you want us to, uncle," said Ned, speaking for Harry as well as for himself. Ned was the elder of the two by about three months and probably concluded that his superiority of age entitled him to "outrank" his cousin.
"Well, there isn't much for you to do in the way of buying materials and outfitting generally," was the reply. "Whatever we wish to take from New York I will order in ample time for our departure. Most of the things we'll want for our journey can be bought after we get to Africa, or I can have them sent from London. You will need some rough clothing for your journey, but that, too, can be mostly obtained at the same place where we will purchase our equipments. You will want a good stock of underclothing, suitable for a warm country, a suit of corduroy, and two or three suits of blue serge or flannel. Lay in a good supply of boots and shoes, say three or four pairs for each of you; and you will want some suits of canvas or duck, but these we can get as well at our point of departure.
"Are you ready to tell us now to what part of Africa we're going?" queried Ned.
"I haven't fully made up my mind as to my route," replied Mr. Whitney. "I have laid out in a general way that we will first go to Algeria and from there make a journey into the Great Sahara Desert; how far we may go into the desert will depend upon circumstances. If the natives are peaceful, and will allow us to pass, it is my
