"Shooting?" exclaimed the professor, half rising in his seat. "Is it a hold up?" He looked around in all directions. But the desert seemed devoid of human life.
"It means that we've blown out a tire," smiled Matt as he brought the car to a stop at the side of the road and got out muttering, "Of all the ding-busted places to get a flat! Not even a spear of grass for shade and no water hole nearer than Coyote Creek and that's ten miles away." Matt puffed as he unstrapped the spare tire and prepared to jack up the wheel.
The girls stood around, anxious to make themselves useful, but Matt paid no attention to their offers of help. He even scowled at Professor Gillette, and went on without answering him. Matt's face was red with the effort under the burning sun that scorched the flesh with its blistering rays. It seemed impossible that life could exist in that burned-out sandy waste.
Bet Baxter had not spoken. She was tremendously interested in the things she saw around her. Suddenly she gave an exclamation of surprise as her foot touched what appeared at first to be a light-colored stone, and saw it move.
"What under the sun is this?" she cried as she stooped over the now motionless little creature.
"Oh, that's a horn toad, it won't bother you," laughed Kit. "You'll see plenty of them around."
"Isn't it pretty!" Bet picked up the little creature between her thumb and forefinger gingerly. "Just look at its funny little tail! I never knew a toad had a tail."
"And look at the thorns all over its body. Isn't it funny?" Enid poked her finger at the toad, prodding it in the sides.
The toad was motionless now as if dead, only an occasional blinking of the eyes showed that it had life.
"If it isn't poisonous, I'd like to take it along for a pet." Bet turned toward the car.