There, right over past the end of the r-r-raft, where it s-s-sticks up
like a c-c-church spire!" he stuttered, pointing as he spoke. "Now
watch everybody, when he pokes his old h-h-head up again. There, don't
you s-s-see? And s-s-say, he seems to be s-s-swimmin' this way, don't
he?"

Steve broke out into a yell.

"Why, bless your old timid soul, Toby, that isn't any snake at all,
only one of those big wild-grape vines, like enough, that's ketched on
to that floating tree trunk close by. She's all twisted and turned,
and I reckon a fellow as crazy over wild animals and things, like you
are, might be excused for thinkin' it was a regular sea serpent."

Bandy-legs too was showing amusement.

"Guess that's the way nearly all sea serpents are discovered," he
remarked, trying to make it appear as though he had not been almost as
excited as Toby, when the other burst out so suddenly with his
announcement.

"Well, we haven't lost any snakes," commented Max, "and so we won't try
to rescue that floating vine. We've had our turn at saving menageries,
seems to me, enough for one season anyway."

What Max referred to was a series of remarkable adventures that came to
the four chums at a time when a storm blew down the tents belonging to
a circus about to exhibit in Carson, and liberating many of the animals
connected with the menagerie; but full particulars of this thrilling
experience have already been given in the volume preceding this, so
that further explanation would seem to be unnecessary here.

Toby did not make any reply. He rubbed his eyes pretty hard, as though
wondering how they could have deceived him so strangely. But then a
fellow who was devoting so much of his thoughts to the mania for
strange pets in the shape of wild animals might be expected to see
things in a different light from his chums, who were not addicted to
that weakness.

"For one," said Bandy-legs, "I'm real glad it wasn't a snake, because
they always give me the creeps, you remember, I hate 'em so. Just
think what a fine pickle we'd be in now if a monster anaconda or a big
boa constrictor or python, broke loose from a show, should climb up on
our bridge boat, and start to chasin' us all overboard. Things look
bad enough as they are without our takin' on a bunch of new trouble.
So, Toby, please don't glimpse anything else, and give us fits, will
you?"

Steve seemed to be intently watching the shore, especially whenever the
revolving