eeds it in his business."

But Toby shrugged his shoulders, and smiled in a way that proved he felt
pretty sure the journey would have been taken for nothing, should such
prove to be the case.

"I can give a guess what brings Mr. Jenks up here," interrupted Max;
"and it's got some connection with our torment, that trained monkey. But
they're waving their hands to us right now, and coming this way; so
we'll soon know all about it."

The two men soon reached the camp. Mr. Jenks it was, just as Toby had
said, and the party with him seemed to be a farmer, who might possibly
live within a few miles of the place.

"Glad to see you again, my boy!" exclaimed the proprietor of the circus,
as he held out his big hand to Toby; "and I must say this looks like a
good omen to me, meeting you away up here, after you had so much to do
with finding the rest of my stock. I'm shy just one fine educated
monkey, the famous Link who's said to be the Missing Link, which he is
right now, at least. Thought I could get on without him, but it seems
that the show has lost its salt without his tricks. Everybody calling
for Link, and attendance falling off when we can't produce him. So when
I had a letter from this party here, Mr. Caleb Kline, who owns a farm
not far away, telling me he had been visited by a big monkey that
chattered, and stole like all get-out, I just made up my mind I'd come
back and make a big effort to locate him. It'll be two hundred dollars
in any one's pocket to capture Link."

"Won't you both sit down, and have a bite of lunch?" asked Max, feeling
that it was really up to them to act as hosts on such an occasion.

Mr. Jenks looked at his companion.

"Might as well, Kline, seeing that your place is a good ways off; and we
don't want to go back till dark, because that boy said he saw the monkey
up in this region day before yesterday. Scared him nearly to death, the
boy thinking he meant to eat him up; but Link only wanted to make
friends, for he's a social chap sometimes."

Steve laughed at that.

"As full of mischief as an egg is of meat, sir!" he declared.

"What's that, have you seen him, then?" demanded Mr. Jenks, eagerly.

"Oh! he's hanging out somewhere near by, and we've had a couple of
experiences with the sly rascal," Steve continued. "First time he stole
half a ham, and when we were looking around in the night he flung it at
my head, and nearly knocked my brains out, only I was saved by not
having it hit