in on the rope.

But Stacy was not alone. Instead of one boy there were two. One of
Chunky's feet and one of Ned Rector's was fast in the loop. Tad had made
a mistake and selected a foot from each of the two boys.

"Something's got me!" bellowed Chunky. "Help, help!"

"It's got me, too," yelled Rector. "It's got me by the foot."

"Oh, wow, wow! Help, help!"

The two boys were fighting and clawing each other in their excitement.
Chunky fastened a hand in the hair of his companion fetching away a
handful. Ned retaliated by smiting Chunky on the nose. Then both grabbed
hold of the tent wall as they slipped out from under it feet first. The
tent swayed and threatened to collapse.

Walter Perkins was struggling about in the dark, shouting to know what
had happened. Professor Zepplin roared out a similar inquiry and sprang
from his bed of boughs. He fell out into the open in his haste, but the
night was so dark that he was unable to make out a single object. He
could hear the two boys yelling at the rear of their tent, struggling
and fighting to free themselves from the grip on their ankles.

The hauling ceased suddenly. Ned reached down and freed his foot, the
same movement freeing that of the fat boy.

At this juncture Tad Butler dashed out from the tent, to which he had
run after having thrown the freed rope away.

"Here, here, what's going on here?" he shouted.

"Something got us. It was a snake," howled Chunky. "Oh, wow; oh, wow!"

"A snake? Nonsense!" exploded the Professor. "There are no snakes in
Alaska."

"There's one here and he's the biggest one you ever saw. Why, he twisted
right around my leg and dragged me out. I think he bit me, too," wailed
Chunky.

"Somebody make a light here," commanded the Professor.

"That's what I say," shouted Ned. "You pulled half the hair out of my
head, Chunky. I'll be even with you for that."

"Did the Thing get you, too?" questioned Walter.

"Get me? I should say it did. I never had anything grip me like that."

Tad was busy starting the fire. The Professor, by this time, realized
that the boys were in earnest; that something really had happened to
disturb them, though he had not the least idea that it had been as bad
as they said.

The fire began snapping briskly. Tad was bending over it in his pajamas,
standing as far back as possible to avoid the sparks. Glancing at the
others out of the corners of his eyes, he observed that Stacy's face was
pale; Ned Recto