“I suppose we may as well stop here,” said Jerry, in a low tone to his companions. “It looks like a decent place, and it will give Noddy a chance to get a good way ahead, which is what we want. But I don’t see what he means by going on when it will soon be night.”
The auto was run under a shed, its appearance causing some fright among the servants and a few travelers, who began to mutter their prayers in Spanish. The boys, escorted by the Mexican, then entered the hostelry. It was a small but decent-looking place, as Jerry had said. The boys were shown to rooms where, washing off some of the grime of their journey, they felt better.
“Supper is ready,” announced the innkeeper, who spoke fairly good English.
“Where is the professor?” asked Ned, as the boys descended to the dining-room.
“The last I saw of him he was climbing up the tree after that toad,” answered Bob. “But here he comes now.”
The naturalist came hurrying into the room, clasping something in his hand.
“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” he shouted. “A perfect beauty!”
The professor opened his fingers slightly to peer at his prize, when the toad, taking advantage of the opportunity, hopped on the floor and was rapidly escaping.
“Oh, oh, he’s got away!” the professor exclaimed. “Help me catch him, everybody! He’s worth a thousand dollars!”
The naturalist got down on his hands and knees and began crawling after the hopping tree-toad, while the boys could not restrain their laughter. A crowd of servants gathered in the doorway to watch the antics of the strange Americano.