bananas, an' ef yo'-all is shore dat I'll find some, why, I'll come
along."

"Find 'em? Of course you will!" cried Ned.

"And cocoanuts, too," added Tom. "Only, Rad, I meant to say that the
monkeys would throw the cocoanuts down to you from the trees. That
breaks the hard shells you see, and all you have to do is to take
out the meat, and drink the milk. Then the monkeys throw you down a
palm leaf fan to cool yourself off, while you're eating it. Oh, I
tell you, Rad, South America is the place to go to have a good
time."

"I believe you, Massa Tom. When do we-all start?"

"Pretty soon now."

"An' what all am yo' gwine arter, Massa Tom?"

The young inventor thought a moment. In times past he had not
hesitated to confide in his colored helper, but of late years
Eradicate had become somewhat childish, and he talked more than was
necessary. Tom wondered whether it would be safe to trust the giant
secret to him. After a moment's thought he realized that it would
not be. But, at the same time, he knew that if he did not give some
kind of an answer Eradicate would become suspicious, and that would
be worse. The colored helper had been with Tom on too many trips not
to know that his master never went without some object.

"Well, Rad, we're after big game this time," Tom said. "I don't know