"Why, Hugh, it seems to me we ought to stop over here a day and see if we can't collect a lot of the eggs of these birds. I think there are some birds here whose eggs have never been described. Just think what a great thing it would be if I could take them back and show them to the ornithologists who have never seen them."
"Sure," said Hugh, "that would be great. How are you going to know when you get an egg back East what bird it belongs to?"
"Why," said Jack, "I suppose I could remember. I guess my memory is good enough for that."
"Maybe it is," said Hugh. "I know mine wouldn't be, especially if I had to do with a lot of eggs of birds that I never had seen before. I should have to tie the egg round the neck of each bird and take both home."
"Well," said Jack, "of course, if you are going to collect the eggs I suppose you ought to collect the parent birds at the same time."
"I suppose," said Hugh, "that you've got your tools for fixing up these eggs to take away with you, cached somewhere in the packs, haven't you, and some sort of a chest to carry these eggs in? I expect if we put a lash rope over them and pull pretty hard it will smash some of the eggs, won't it?"
Jack sat silent for a little while, and then looked at Hugh. "I never saw anybody that could make a fellow feel like such a fool as you can."
"Why," said Hugh, "I don't want you to feel like a fool."
"No," said Jack, "I suppose maybe that is not what you want. I suppose that you want to make me think before I speak."
"Yes," said Hugh, "that's something I would like to do. That would be a bully lesson for you to learn, and I think you are learning it, only maybe not very fast."