"Why? Dad, why can't we have a try for that treasure? It
ought to be comparatively easy to find that sunken ship off
the coast of Uruguay. In our submarine we can get close up
to it, and in the new diving suits you invented we can get
at that gold bullion. Three hundred thousand dollars! Think
of it, dad! Three hundred thousand dollars! We could easily
claim all of it, since the owners have abandoned it, but we
would be satisfied with half. Let's hurry up, finish the
submarine, and have a try for it."

"But, Tom, you forget that I am to enter my new ship in
the trials for the prize offered by the United States
Government."

"How much is the prize if you win it?" asked Tom.

"Fifty thousand dollars."

"Well, here's a chance to make three times that much at
least, and maybe more. Dad, let the Government prize go, and
try for the treasure. Will you?"

Tom looked eagerly at his father, his eyes shining with
anticipation. Mr. Swift was not a quick thinker, but the
idea his son had proposed made an impression on him. He
reached out his hand for the paper in which the young
inventor had seen the account of the sunken treasure.
Slowly he read it through. Then he passed it to Mr. Sharp.

"What do you think of it?" he asked of the aeronaut