CHAPTER XVIII

THE NEW DECK HAND

Having said so much, Peter Slade seemed more inclined to talk, one reason being that he wanted to get at the bottom of the mystery which had brought Tad Sobber and his uncle to that part of the globe. Tad had hinted of great wealth, and of getting the best of the Rovers and some other people, but had not gone into any details.

Peter said he had come to Nassau to join his mother, who was stopping there for her health. His father was coming on later, and then the family was going across the ocean.

"I know there is something up between your crowd and the Merrick crowd," said the youth. "You are both after something, ain't you?"

"Yes," answered Tom.

"What?"

"I can't tell you that, Slade. It's something quite valuable, though."

"Well, I guess Sobber's uncle will get ahead of you."

"Perhaps so. What is the name of the tramp steamer he is looking for?"

"The _Josephine_."

"Was she to be here?"

"They hoped she would be."

"Were they going to hire her?" asked Sam.

"I suppose so."

"Then Merrick had money."

"Yes, he had some, and that Spaniard had some, too."

A little more conversation followed, and then the Rover boys asked Slade where he was going to stop, and said they might see him later.

"This is mighty interesting," remarked Tom, as he and his brother hurried to their hotel. "We must tell father of this without delay."

But Mr. Rover could not be found until that evening, when the party came back from the visit to the flower gardens. He listened with deep interest to what was said, and then went off on a hunt for Sid Merrick and the tramp steamer _Josephine_ without delay. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What brought Tad and his uncle?
2. What had Tad alluded to?
3. and?
4. Who was there for his mom?
5. Was his father there?
6. Was he going to be
7. Is Tom open with Slade about his intentions?
8. Who had money?
9. and?
10. Was Mr. Rover around at the time?
Answer: 1. A mystery
2. Great wealth
3. And of getting the best of the Rovers and some other people
4. Peter
5. No
6. Yes
7. No
8. Merrick
9. And Spaniard had some, too
10. No

Pope Francis (; ; ; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936) is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds "ex officio" as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first to choose a name not used by a predecessor since Lando in 913 AD, and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What is the birth name of Pope Francis?
2. What is his current name and title?
3. How did he get his current name?
4. Whom did he name himself after?
5. Have any other popes used the name Francis?
6. Who was the last pope to choose a name that had not been used by a pope before?
7. Where was Pope Francis born?
8. What scientific job did he hold?
9. What nonscientific job did he hold in his early days?
10. What happened to him in 1969?
11. What was his title in 1973?
12. How long did he hold that?
13. How many years did he hold that title?
14. When did he become a cardinal?
15. Who gave him that title?
16. Who was pope before Francis?
17. Who gave Francis the title of pope?
18. When?
19. When did Benedict resign?
Answer: 1. Jorge Mario Bergoglio
2. Pope Francis
3. He chose it
4. Saint Francis of Assisi
5. no
6. Lando
7. Argentina
8. a chemical technologist
9. nightclub bouncer
10. He was ordained
11. provincial superior
12. from 1973 to 1979
13. six
14. 2001
15. Pope John Paul II
16. Pope Benedict XVI
17. a papal conclave
18. 13 March
19. 28 February 2013

(CNN) -- The fledgling International Premier Tennis League suffered a blow when two of the world's most recognized female athletes snubbed the event.

Max Eisenbud, the agent of both Maria Sharapova and Li Na, told CNN on Thursday that neither would be appearing in the team tournament that is set to make its debut in Asia this November.

Sharapova transcends tennis and has long been a magnet for sponsors -- the Russian is perennially listed as the world's richest female athlete by Forbes -- while China's Li is one of the marquee names in Asia, having captured a second grand slam title at the Australian Open in January.

Li was "confirmed" as one of the entrants by the League in a press release last May.

"Maria and Li Na will not be participating," Eisenbud said in an email.

Mahesh Bhupathi, a grand slam doubles winner and the main man behind the project modeled after cricket's highly successful Indian Premier League, will now be hoping he can secure the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Roger Federer, the 17-time grand slam champion and still the biggest name in the sport, told Gulf News this week he generally backed the idea.

The player list is expected to be revealed Friday.

"Firstly, I want to see whether it takes off or not," Federer told Gulf News. "I know a lot of people have invested in it or are part of it. Anywhere where tennis grows is a good thing, so I hope it takes off and becomes very successful. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who are Maria and Li?
2. Who represents them?
3. What happened in May?
4. Will she be joining?
5. IS everyone else staying on?
6. Who else pulled out?
7. Who is Roger Federer?
8. Is he well known?
9. What happens at the end of the week?
10. Where is the team going?
11. When?
12. For what?
13. Has Li won any special events?
14. What?
15. Where?
16. When?
17. Is she from Australia?
18. Where then?
19. Who makes the most money?
20. Where is she from?
Answer:
1. female tennis players
2. Max Eisenbud
3. Li was "confirmed" as one of the entrants
4. no
5. no
6. Maria
7. 17-time grand slam champion
8. yes
9. The player list is expected to be revealed
10. Asia
11. this November.
12. the team tournament
13. yes
14. grand slam title
15. at the Australian Open
16. in January.
17. no
18. China
19. sharapova
20. Russia