Phœnix thought an earthquake had occurred. In an instant he was enveloped in darkness; then there seemed to be a land slide over his head, and flying bits of wood banged about his ears.
Adam made a grab at the tarpaulin as it swept over him, and held fast to one corner of it. He was instantly jerked about three yards along the sand, and then the branch, to which the end of the rope was tied, slipped under the tarpaulin, and Adam and the tent were left lying together on the ground.
Chap made a wild rush after the branch, but it was pulled into the water before he could reach it. He could see it floating rapidly along the top of the water, as the alligator swam away, and he stood sadly on the bank, watching the disappearance of that branch and his hopes.
Adam, with the two boys, now appeared, half awake and utterly astounded, and anxiously demanded to know what had happened. Never had they been awakened in such a startling style. When Chap explained the state of affairs, Phil and Phœnix burst into a laugh, but Adam looked rather glum.
“You don’t mean to say,” he exclaimed, “that that ’gator has gone off with all my rope?”
“He’s got it all,” said Chap; “and I’m sorry now it didn’t break, so some of it might have been left. But I tell you what we could do, if we could only get a boat; we could run after that branch—it won’t sink, you know—and when we got hold of the rope we might haul the alligator in.”
“Haul him in!” cried Adam; “I’d like to see myself hauling a live alligator into a boat, even if we could do it, and had a boat. No, that line is gone for good. He’s turned round and chawed it off his tail by this time.”
“What did you expect to do with your alligator,” asked Phil, “after you had fastened him to a tree? We haven’t anything to kill him with, and he would have raged around at the end of his line like a mad bull.”
“Perhaps Chap thought he could tame it, and take it along with us,” said Phœnix.
“Look here, boys,” said Chap, “I don’t want any criticisms on this alligator business. If I’d been acting as your captain, and leading you in an alligator hunt, you might say what you pleased when the beast got away; but I was doing this thing in my private capacity, and not as commander of the party, and you fellows have nothing to do with it.”