“Well, doesn’t that beat the Dutch!” whispered Roger, half in admiration.
“I shouldn’t have been so scared if I had known they were educated,” returned Phil.
“Hush!” said Dave. “Give him a chance to gather them all in.”
Placing the captured mice in their cage, the professor moved up and down the car once more, opening the berth curtains as he did so. He continued to emit that same clear trill, and soon his shoulders were full of the white mice.
“Only one is missing, little General Pinky,” he announced.
“Spit, spat, spow! Where did Pinky go?” murmured Phil.
“Ha! I have him! Dear little Pinky!” cried the professor, as the mouse dropped onto his shoulder from an upper berth. “Now I have them all, ladies and gentlemen,” he announced. “You can go to sleep without alarm. I shall take good care that they do not get away again.”
“I dun reckon I’se gwine to take care of dat!” put in the porter. “Dem mice am gwine into de baggage-cah dis minit!”
“But, my dear fellow——” broke in the professor.
“I ain’t a-gwine to argy de question, mistah. Da is gwine in de baggage-cah!” And the porter reached out and caught hold of the cage containing the mice.