."

Max laughed softly.

"I admit that we didn't bother asking her about it, Bandy-legs," he
remarked; "but that was because there was no need."

"But why?" insisted the other, greedily.

"Oh! I happened to see the bull myself," replied Max, quietly.

"Pretty good evidence, that, I'd say," chuckled the amused Steve; "and
so far as I c'n tell, your lamps are in good condition, Max. Seeing is
believing, they say."

"And you didn't even bother to tell me, either; was that just fair!" the
aggrieved Bandy-legs wanted to know.

"Well," Max told him, "it happened when you were helping Mrs. Ketcham do
something with the eggs, and I guess I must have forgotten all about it
afterwards, because we had a lot of other things to talk about. But
happening to look out of the window in the direction of the barn I just
glimpsed the heavy-set head of a big Jersey bull sticking out of a hole
that must have been made in his stall so as to give him air. He was
sniffing, as if he knew there were strangers around; but when I looked
again he had drawn his head in, and so I forgot all about him."

Toby heaved a disappointed sigh.

"That knocks all my c-c-chances of g-g-gettin' an old he lion this
trip!" they heard him mutter.

"Well, did you ever?" ejaculated Steve, staring hard at the other; "just
think of the nerve of him, would you, expecting to bag a terrible
man-eating lion in a trap like that! Honest now, I really believe Toby
here'd be happy if he could only go home in a few days with a whole
menagerie trailing behind him--elephant, rhinoceros, camel, lion,
tiger, and a ring-tailed monkey bringing up the rear."

"Oh! is that so?" Toby asked him, with a pretended sneer on his face;
"and while you're about it, Steve, would you be so k-k-kind as to tell
me what sort of a m-m-monkey that is? I never saw one in all my
l-l-life."

"I guess you've got me there, Toby," laughed Steve; "because I never
have, either, but I should say it was an ordinary monkey that could tie
his tail up in knots whenever he wanted to keep it out of mischief, just
like you turn up your trousers on a wet day."

They kept things humming until the meal was done; for every fellow had a
desire to make his opinion known.

"Now what's the programme for to-day?" asked Max, as they untwisted
themselves from their Turk-like sitting positions, and stretched to
their full height.

"I'll tell you what I'm m-m-meaning to do," said Toby, "after we get
d-d-done th