Ajax took it all in and then gets inquisitive.

“Could I procure a specimen?”

“Nope. They only sleep between twelve and one o’clock, and nobody knows where they hole up. To catch one any other time you’ve got to take a sack in your hands, stand on the stump of a persimmon-tree and make a noise like a loofmad.”

“Oh, I see. Quite complicated. More of this later, as I am interested.”

“You deserve to be,” says I. “If it wasn’t for Middleton——”

“Ah, yes. I am deeply indebted to Middleton, the dear fellow. I shall mention him in my monograph.”

“Do it,” urges Magpie. “I’ll do the same—in my prayers.”

“I—I feel that I am going to make some wonderful discoveries out here.”

“Well,” says Magpie, “that remains to be seen, as the feller said when he dug into the Injun’s grave.”