"I can't get my arm out of this hole," declared the professor.
"How did you get it in?" asked Tom.
"A fine specimen that I dropped accidentally rolled into it," was the reply. "I reached in to get it and now I can't get my hand out."
"But you got it in easily enough," said Jack in a puzzled tone.
"Ah, yes," replied the professor, "but then I didn't have my hand clenched. Now my fist is closed and I have the specimen in it. Oh, boys, it's a beauty. One of the finest I have ever seen. It shows distinct monolithic traces."
"But if you don't drop it you can't get your hand out," argued Tom.
"I know that. That's why I shouted for help," said the professor simply.
"You'll have to let go of it," decided Jack, almost choking with laughter at the plight of the eccentric little man.
"Let go of it? My dear sir," murmured the professor in a shocked tone, "this specimen is worth at least twenty dollars, not to speak of its scientific value."
"But you can't stay here," said Jack decisively.