The captain, who sat next him on a bough above that occupied by the professor, placed his mouth close to Jack’s ear.
“Don’t say anything or scare the others,” he said earnestly in a hoarse whisper, “but if many of them takes a notion to climb this tree our name is D-E-N-N-I-S, Dennis.”
There came a sudden cry from the professor.
“Ach! here come some more. See, dey chase dot lizard oop der tree. Vunderful! If I haf not see it, I not belief idt!”
He drew out a fair-sized flask and dropped some liquid on the two ants he had just succeeded in capturing.
The ants shriveled up instantly. The touch of the stuff had killed them.
“What’s that stuff?” asked Captain Sprowl sharply.
“Ah! Idt iss a new sordt of insect killer,” cried the professor triumphantly; “der invention of a Cherman. Idt iss too powerful for ortinary use. Idt is only soldt to naturalists.”
“Say, let me have that bottle a minute, will you?” exclaimed the captain quickly.
“Der boddle? Vot for?”