CHAPTER IV
AGAINST HIS WILL
For a moment it seemed that Mr. Damon, as well as Mr. Hardley, feltdisappointment at Tom's answer, for the eccentric man exclaimed:
"Bless my leather belt, Tom, but you aren't very keen on making amillion dollars!"
"Oh, yes, I like to make money," the young inventor answered. "I guessyou know that, as well as any one, for you've been with me on severaltrips. And I don't mind hard work, nor danger."
"I'll say you don't!" added Ned, as he thought of some of Tom'sperilous voyages, among the diamond makers and in the caves of ice.
"Well, if you are anxious to make money, as I admit I am," said Mr.Hardley, "why can't you give me an answer now?"
"Because," answered Tom, "there are many things to be considered.Hunting for a treasure on the floor of the Atlantic isn't like going tosome location on land, however wild or inaccessible it might be. Do yourealize, Mr. Hardley, what a large difference in miles a small error innautical calculations makes? We might go to the exact spot where youthought the wreck of the Pandora lies, only to find that we would haveto hunt around a long time.
"I must think of that, and also think of my other business affairs.Then, too, there is my father. He is getting old, and while he is stillactive in the affairs of the company, particularly when it comes totaking up new lines of work, I do not like to think of leaving him, asI should have to, in case I went on this trip."
"Take him along!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "He's gone with us before, Tom."
"He's too old now," said the young inventor a bit sadly. "Father willnever make another extended trip. But I will let you have my answer assoon as I can, Mr. Hardley, and I will give the matter considerablethought."
"I'm sure I hope you will, and also that you will consent to go," wasthe answer. "A million is not easily to be come at in these days afterthe Great War."
"I realize that," agreed Tom with a smile. "And you shall have myanswer as soon as possible."
With this the visitor was forced to be content, and a little later hewithdrew with Mr. Damon, the latter telling Tom that he would see himagain soon.
"Well, that was queer, wasn't it?" remarked Ned, when he and Tom werealone again.
"What was?" asked Tom, as though his mind was far away, as indeed itwas.
"That this man should come in with his project to search for a sunkentreasure wreck just as we were talking about how many millions were onthe bottom of the ocean."
"Yes, it was quite a coincidence," Tom admitted.
"What do you think of it--and him?" asked Ned.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't take a great fancy to Mr.Hardley," Tom said. "I think he's altogether too cocksure, and takestoo much for granted. Still I may misjudge him. Certainly he doesn'thave a chance at a million dollars every day."
"Do you think you could get the treasure out of this wreck, Tom, if youcould locate her?"
"Why, it's possible; yes. We proved that with the Boldero."
"Would you use the same submarine?"
"No, I think I'd have to rebuild it, or make an altogether new one.Possibly I might get one of Uncle Sam's and add some improvements of myown."
"Yes, you could do that," agreed Ned. "You've done so much for thegovernment that it couldn't refuse you something reasonable, now thatthe war is over. Then do you think you'll go?"
"Really, Ned, I can't make up my mind yet. Now let's forget the Pandoraand all the millions and get down to business. This Criterion companyseems to me to want altogether too much, We'll have to trim theirrequest down a bit. They owe the money and ought to pay it."
"Yes, I'll get after them," said Ned, and then he and his chum, as wellas employer, plunged into a mass of business details.
It was the next afternoon, when Tom, following a strenuous morning ofwork, leaned back in his chair at his desk, that Mr. Damon wasannounced.
"Tell him to come in," ordered Tom, always glad to see his friend."Wait a minute, though!" he called to the messenger. "Is any one withhim?"
"No, sir; he is alone."
"Good! Then show him right in. I was afraid," said Tom to Ned, who wasalso in the office, "that he had Hardley with him. I'm not quite readyto see him yet."
"Then you haven't made up your mind about going for the treasure?"
"Not exactly. I shall, perhaps, this week."
"Bless my matchbox, Tom, but I'm glad to see you!" cried Mr. Damon, ashe hastened forward with outstretched hand. "I was afraid you might beout. Now look here! What about my friend Hardley? He's very anxious toknow your decision about going for that treasure, and I said I'd comeover and sound you. I don't mind saying, Tom, that if you go I'm goingtoo; if you'll take me, of course."
"Well, Mr. Damon, you know you'll always be welcome, as far as I amconcerned," said the young inventor; "but, as a matter of fact, I don'tbelieve I'm going."
"What? Not going to pick up a million dollars off the floor of theocean, Tom? Bless my bank balance! but that's foolish, it seems to me."
"Perhaps it is, but I can't help it."
"What's your principal objection?" asked the eccentric man. "It isn'tthat you don't want the money, is it?"
"Not exactly."
"Then it must be that you object to Mr. Hardley personally." went onMr. Damon. "I began to suspect that, Tom, and I want to say that youare wrong. Mr. Hardley is a friend of mine--a good friend. I have notknown him long, but he strikes me as being all right. He had some goodletters of introduction, and I believe he has money."
"Where'd he get it?" asked Tom.
"I don't know, exactly. Seems to me I heard him mention silver mines,or it may have been gold. Anyhow, it had something to do with gettingwealth out of the ground. Now, Tom, I don't mind saying that I stand tomake a little money in case this thing goes through."
"How's that, Mr. Damon?" asked the young scientist in surprise.
"Why, I agreed to bear part of the expense," was the answer. "I thoughtthis was a pretty good scheme, and when Mr. Hardley came to me and toldme of the possibilities I agreed to help him finance the expenses. Thatis, I have taken shares in the company he formed to raise his half ofthe expense money.
"Of course I thought of you at once when he spoke of having to searchout a sunken wreck, and I proposed your name. He'd heard of you, hesaid, but didn't know you. So I brought you together and now--bless myapple pie, Tom! I hope you aren't going to turn down a chance to make amillion and, incidentally, help an old friend."
"Well," remarked Tom, slowly, "I must admit, Mr. Damon, that I didn'tthink you'd go into a thing like this. Not that it is more risky thanother schemes, but I thought you didn't care for speculation."
"Well, this sort of appealed to me Tom. You know--sunken wreck underthe ocean, down in a diving bell perhaps, and all that! There'sromance to it."
"Yes, there is romance," agreed Tom. "And hard work, too. If Iundertook this it would mean an extra lot of work getting ready. Isuppose I could use my own submarine. I could get her in commission,and make improvements more quickly than on any other."
"Then you'll go?" quickly cried the eccentric man.
"Well, since you tell me you are interested financially, I believe Iwill," assented Tom, but he spoke reluctantly. "As a matter of fact, Iam going against my better judgment. Not that I fear we shall be indanger," he hastened to add; "but I think it will prove a failure.However, as Mr. Hardley will bear half the expense, and as by using myown submarine that will not be much, I'll go!"
"Then I'll tell him!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Hurray! This is great! Ihaven't had an exciting trip for a long while! Don't tell my wife aboutit," he begged Tom and Ned. "At least not until just before we start.Then she can't object in time. I'll have a wonderful experience, Iknow. This will be good news to Dixwell Hardley!"
And as Mr. Damon hastened away to acquaint his new friend with Tom'sdecision, the young inventor remarked to Ned:
"I'll go; but, somehow, I have a feeling that something will happen."
&n
bsp; "Something bad?" asked the financial manager. "No, I wouldn't go so faras to say that. But I believe we'll have trouble. I'll start on thesearch for the sunken millions, but rather against my better judgment.However, maybe Mr. Damon's luck and good nature will pull us through!"