anywhere or not sleeping, all these hardships were of no consequence
whatever compared with the thrill which came with the first glimpse of,
high up under the bulging brow of an overhanging cliff, a rude wall and
a cluster of half ruined dwellings sticking to the side of the precipice
as barn swallows' nests are plastered beneath eaves. Then the climb
and the glorious burrowing into the homes of these long dead folk, the
hallelujahs when a bit of broken pottery was found, and the delightfully
arduous labor of painstakingly uncovering and cleaning a bit of rude
carving. The average man would have tired of it in two days, a week of
it would have bored him to distraction. But the longer it lasted and
the harder the labor, the brighter Galusha's eyes sparkled behind his
spectacles. Years before, when his aunt had asked him concerning his
interest in the books about ancient Nineveh, he had described to her the
work of the explorers and had cried: "Gee, it must be great!" Well,
now he was, in a very humble way, helping to do something of the sort
himself, and--gee, it WAS great!

Such enthusiasm as his and such marked aptitude, amounting almost to
genius, could not help but make an impression. The distinguished savant
at the head of the expedition returned the young man's liking. Before
returning East, he said:

"Bangs, next fall I am planning an expedition to Ecuador. I'd like to
have you go with me. Oh, this isn't offered merely for your sake, it is
quite as much for mine. You're worth at least three of the average young
fellows who have trained for this sort of thing. There will be a salary
for you, of course, but it won't be large. On the other hand, there will
be no personal expense and some experience. Will you go?"

Would he GO? Why--