“Why—it’s another snake!” exclaimed Dr. Rander. “A bola. It isn’t poisonous, but it is a good thing you got it. There is no way of knowing what it might have been.”
With the aid of the flashlight they examined the reptile closely. Its head was almost shot off, making it useless as a specimen.
“I’d like to have it for Dad and the other naturalists,” remarked Bob. “But as it is, guess it’s no good for anything.”
“You should have been more careful in shooting it,” teased Dr. Rander. “Now if you had aimed at its body instead of its head——”
Joe smiled.
“A snake has eyes in only one place,” he said laughingly, “and the eyes are the only part of it you can see at night. Now if this fellow had worn a badge to signify that he was a member of the Royal Order of Andean Reptiles, maybe the fire shining on it would have given me a good place to take aim at.”
“Probably wouldn’t bother with him anyway,” said Bob. “After all, we’re out to find the treasure.”
Nothing happened that night to disturb their slumber. They awoke the next morning eager to continue the journey.
“Today we should come to the big secret,” Dr. Rander told them during breakfast. “If all goes well, we should get there this afternoon.”
Bob was restless.