But my temper had been sorely tried, and I was in a mood to tell the
truth and make short work of it, too.
"Ladies," I said, "I'll not mince matters. Mr. Brown and I are not
guides; we are scientists from Bronx Park, and we don't know a bally
thing about this wilderness we're in!"
"Swindler!" shouted Mrs. Batt, in an enraged voice. "I knew very well
that the United States Government would never have named that puddle of
water after _me_!"
"Don't worry, madam! I've named it after Mr. Brown. And the new species
of gigantic fish which I discovered in this lake I have named after
myself. As for leaving this spot until I have concluded my scientific
study of these fish, I simply won't. I intend to observe their habits and
to capture one of them if it requires the remainder of my natural life to
do so. I shall be sorry to detain you here during such a period, but it
can't be helped. And now you know what the situation is, and you are at
liberty to think it over after you have washed your countenances in Lake
Kitten Brown."
Rage possessed the heavy artillery, and a fury indescribable seized them
when they discovered that Indians had raided their half ton of feminine
perquisites.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127