“Is it asleep or is it dead?” asked Clara, after they had watched the
Plesiosaurus for several moments in silence.
“Asleep,” said Charley, decidedly. “It moved twice while I was watching
it. Now, Dick, this is only part of my discovery. I----”
“Yes, and I can tell you the rest,” said Dick, pointing over toward the
rocky ridge beyond the pool. “We are not the first ones who have been
here.”
“Indeed we are not,” replied Charley. “You see?”
There was a rude hut near the ridge and lying on the ground outside
were two huge coils of rope, one almost as big round as a steamer’s
hawser.
Charley led the way around the pool and when they got to the hut Dick
saw that a stout post ten feet high had been driven into the ground
with big notches cut into it. In the hut were axes, crowbars and other
tools; also a great roll of canvas and various other things. Charley
explained that he found the lantern here.
“Looks to me as though some one had brought all these things here for
the express purpose of capturing old P. D.,” said Dick, “but they have
been here a long while, Charley.”
“For several years,” said Doctor Dan. “Strange that I never heard of
this and I thought I knew the Bad Lands pretty well, too.”
“Some one has tried it,” said Charley; “probably the pool is a regular
hangout for this particular Plesiosaurus. There must be some connection
with the underground river and the lake. I believe the scheme was to
make a slip noose, drop it around old P. D.’s neck and tie him up to
the post here until such time as some means could be found of getting
him out.”
“It would never work,” said Doctor Dan.
“I’m not so sure,” said Dick. “We might succeed in tying him, anyway,
and keeping him here in the pool till we could get help.”
“Let’s try it, Dick,” said Charley, eagerly. “I go in for it.”
“I think it might be done,” said Clara. “What a strange looking
creature it is to be sure! Anyone could make their fortune by
exhibiting it in the States.”
“It will never be exhibited if we succeed in snaring it,” said Dick.
“It belongs to the Smithsonian the moment it comes into our hands.”
“What do you say, doctor?” he added. “Shall we try it on?”
“I’m at your service, boys,” replied the Indian. “I can throw a lasso
as well as any man alive and I think I ought to be able to drop a noose
around that fellow’s neck, but, before we begin I think we had better
see how we are going to get out of here. I want to take a look over
these rocks.”
“There’s a trail down the mountain--pretty steep, but still a trail,”
declared Charley.
One glance showed them that he was right. The trail was indeed steep
and it had a strangely smooth and worn appearance, especially at a
point where there was a break in the rocks and where it seemed to begin.
“Oh, he’s lifting up his head!” cried Clara. “He’s waking up!”
The Plesiosaurus perhaps had been disturbed by the loud talking. Slowly
the great head came up through the water, rose above the surface and
surveyed the party with its huge eyes in a fashion which seemed to show
a decided bump of curiosity.
Suddenly its mouth opened and the monster let out one mighty bellow
which made the rocks around fairly ring.
Clara screamed in terror, but old P. D. drew his head down in a
dignified way and tucked it under his body again.
“I could have lassoed him then!” cried Doctor Dan. “Pity we didn’t have
the rope ready.”
“We’ll get it ready right away,” said Dick, “for he may take a notion
to have another look at us any moment. I wonder if this post will hold.”
“It’s pretty firm,” said Doctor Dan, trying it. “I feel more worried
about the rope. Lay hold here, boys, we will unwind it and tie one end
to the post. Leave the knots to me. I’ll fix them so that two P. D.’s
could not unloose them, but I don’t want to guarantee that the rope
won’t break.”
It took half an hour of good hard work to get everything in readiness
and during all that time old P. D. had never moved.
As there would be no chance to lasso him until he did, Dick and Charley
undertook to stir the monster up by throwing big stones into the pool.
Meanwhile Clara had taken her place at the top of the ridge behind the
hut, rather a dangerous spot, too, for behind her there was a sheer
descent down over the cliffs of several hundred feet to a narrow ledge
below.
“Give him another, Dick,” cried Charley. “I’m sure my last one hit him,
but he never budged.”
Dick let another stone fly and with such good effect that it struck the
Plesiosaurus square on the back.
Immediately the monster threw up its head and the water began to boil.
Up came the long neck and the head was thrust angrily out of the pool.
Doctor Dan, with a peculiar cry, flung his huge lasso and it dropped
down over the monster’s head.
“Pull! Pull!” shouted the Indian. “We have got him if we can only hold
him!”
Dick and Charley were at the other end of the rope and they pulled with
all their strength, old P. D. giving out his frightful cry as the rope
tightened about his neck.
Suddenly his whole huge body rose to the surface and he darted forward
toward the shore.
The rope flew taut and snapped short off close to the post with a
suddenness and a force which threw down Dick, Charley and Doctor Dan.
Clara screamed and once more the Plesiosaurus gave its dreadful bellow.
Its huge webbed feet were on the shore now and it darted its head, with
open jaws, straight down toward Doctor Dan, who was trying to regain
his feet.