“That’s right,” added Andy Rush. “Come at last minute—almost left—rush on board—never mind the crowd—jump in the air—fall down—get up—see the bugs! Whoop!”
“Bugs? Bugs? What bugs? Are there any bugs I can capture here?” asked the professor turning around to face the crowd from the deck of the airship. Evidently he was unaware that his specimen box had come open in his flight, and that his path was strewn with creeping and crawling things.
“Bugs! I should say there were bugs!” exclaimed a woman. “One of the terrible creatures is on me now! It has seven wings and about fifty legs! Ugh! Take him off me, somebody; do!”
“Seven wings!” cried the professor, excitedly. “Why, my dear madam, that is one of the most wonderful and rare creatures in existence! There is only one known, and I have it. It is a sort of dragon-fly-centipede. Don’t move, I beg of you, and I will capture it in a moment. I wonder where it came from?”
“From your box, Professor,” said Jerry, coming from the pilot house. “Your box is open and——”
“Oh, my good gracious! So it is!” exclaimed the scientist with a groan. “All my valuable insects have escaped! That seven-winged centipede is one of them. Help me to capture them, boys, I beg of you!”
“Everybody get busy!” sang out Andy Rush. “Capture the professor’s specimens!”
“I’ll kill this seven-winged beast if some one doesn’t take it off me!” screamed the woman.
“Don’t! Don’t! I beg of you! Handle it gently,” pleaded Uriah Snodgrass, as he prepared to get off the airship. “I will take it from you in a minute,” and he got his small net ready.
“There’s some sort of a toad crawling up my leg!” yelled a man. “Do you want that, Professor?”