"He's eating the sugar," spoke up Walter Perkins.
"Drop 'em!" roared Ned.
Stacy started to run, whereupon the boys fell upon him, and the next second he was at the bottom of the heap. The boys were rubbing his face in the sand in an effort to make him give up the sugar.
The Professor took a hand—two hands in fact—about this time. He made short work of the "goose pile," tossing the boys from the very much ruffled Stacy, whom he also jerked to his feet.
"What's all this disturbance about?" demanded Professor Zepplin. "First you strew the outfit all over the desert, then you get to pummeling each other."
"Chunky's been stealing sugar," volunteered Ned.
"Give back that sugar, instantly!" commanded the Professor.
The fat boy shook his head and grinned.
"Can't," he answered.
"And, why not?"