“Did you get him, Dan?” demanded Eddie Grant.
“Whoop! Dan’s trapped the old thief after all! Bully for Dan!” yelled Peg.
“Did you, Dan, and is the Jabberwock mad about it?” asked Andy Hale.
Even the grown members of the party evinced considerable interest in the matter. Mr. Bartlett knew that some of the boys, more impetuous than wise, would be apt to rush toward the pit in order to gratify their curiosity. He wished to warn them of the danger involved in carelessness.
“Mr. Holwell,” he said, “Dan invites us all to come and see for ourselves. But before we go I wish to tell the boys to be very particular not to crowd up close to the edge of the pit. If the earth crumbled under any one and he fell in I’m afraid he’d never come out alive again.”
Accordingly, the boys promised to exercise the greatest care. Then the whole troop followed in the wake of the proud originator of the scheme to trap the disturber of their peace.
Judging from the broad grin decorating the face of Dan Fenwick when he looked around once or twice, it was the happiest moment of his whole young life. He could understand the feelings that must have filled the heart of some ancient conqueror, when crowned with the laurel wreath of victory and watching the strings of captives paraded before the throngs filling the public square in Rome.
The captured gorilla must have been quite used to seeing human faces about his cage, for he never once got up from his squatting position, but just blinked up at them, and scowled frightfully.
“Deliver me from meeting that chap in the woods after night sets in!” remarked Clint Babbett.
“And Nat, I’m going to ask your pardon for laughing at you because you yelled when that monster took to playing leap-frog over you,” said Peg Fosdick, humbly. “If I waked from a sound sleep and saw him sailing past I reckon my heart would nearly jump out of my mouth with fear. Say, he’s the limit!”