Ponto! I say
Ponto! Where are you?"
"Comin' Massa Seabury! I'se comin'," answered a sleepy voice and Ponto
came from the garden to the veranda, where Mr. Seabury, his daughters
and the boys were.
"Do you think we are going to have a storm?"
"Storm? No, sah. No storm to-day."
"How can you tell?"
"Easy, Massa Seabury. When it's goin' t' storm, I cain't never sleep
well, an' now, I can fall asleep as easy as a baby."
"I believe you. Well, that's what I wanted to know. He's a very good
weather prophet," he added in a low voice to the boys. "I guess the
boat is safe. Have you seen Professor Snodgrass lately, Ponto?"
"Yais, sah, I done saw him 'bout half an hour ago. He were huntin'
around de' lower end ob de garden, after some web-footed grasshoppers,
I t'ink he said."
"Web-footed lizards," corrected Ned.
"Yais, sah, dat's what it were. Web-footed lizards an' horned toads.
Golly, I hopes he don't cotch none when I'se around!"
The boys told Mr. Seabury of Mr. Blowitz, and their host advised them
to be careful about entering into any arrangement with the man.
"I don't know him," he said, "but I have heard from different persons
here that there is something queer about him. However, he may only
want some favor that you can easily do."
Shortly before five o'clock the three boys started to keep their
appointment with Carson Blowitz. Professor Snodgrass had not succeeded
in finding any horned toads, and announced his intention of making a
search near the bed of a dried-up river that evening, as he had heard
there were some there.
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