!"

"But what connection has he with the snakes?" Bob questioned.

"Not any that I know of," replied Jack.

"Yes, he has, too!" asserted one of his chums. "The spy had the snake.
He was going to let him loose in camp, hoping he'd bite and poison a
lot of us, I s'pose, so we can't go to France to fight the Huns."

"Big snakes are seldom poisonous," cried Jerry. "This may be a python
or a boa escaped from some circus, though I haven't heard of any
animal shows being around here lately."

"Me, either," added Bob. "Say, are you sure you saw a snake?" he asked
the lads who had rushed out in such a hurry.

"As sure as we see you now, and you're not much smaller around the
waist than this same snake," added Jack with a laugh.

"Cut out the comedy stuff!" murmured Bob.

"Well, if there's a real snake in there I want to see it!" exclaimed
Jerry. "Come on!" and he pushed open the door which had swung shut
after the exit of the excited lads.

Within the barracks the three Motor Boys saw a scene of excitement.
One end of the big building, which was filled with cots and bunks, was
comparatively empty, but at the other there was a group of officers
and men. Some of them appeared to surround the captive, though the
three chums could not just then get a glimpse of him.

"There it is!" suddenly cried Ned, pointing.

"What--the spy?" asked Bob.

"No, the snake! See it?"

He pointed. There was no doubt of it. A long, glistening, brown body
was seen to glide under a row of cots.

"It's a snake all right," assented Jerry, "but not half as big as I
thought. It's just like one I've seen----"

He was interrupted by a voice which rang out above the murmurs from
the group at the other end of the barracks, and the commanding voice
of Colonel Shield demanded:

"What is going on here? What is all the excitement about?"

It appeared that he had just entered at the doorway around which were
grouped the excited officers and men.

"We have caught a spy," some one said.

"He must have let the big snake loose!" another added.

"Well, why don't some of you shoot the reptile?" asked the colonel. "A
fine lot of soldiers you are, I must say! Afraid of a snake! Where
will you be when you go up against the Germans? Some one get a rifle
and shoot the snake!"

At this command a protesting cry came from the midst of a group of
soldiers who were guarding the man arrested as a spy.

"Don't shoot my snake! Don't shoot my pet snake!" came