The lads hastened through the forest with what speed may be imagined. All the time the yells grew louder, showing them that they were proceeding in the right direction.

“Himmel! Ach donnerblitzen! Ouch!” they could hear as they raced along, tumbling over roots and getting entangled in long, serpent-like lianas.

“What do you suppose can have happened?” panted Tom as they ran.

“Don’t know. The professor must have been attacked by some kind of venomous beast or other,” declared Jack. “Hurry up, boys!”

“Better get your rifles ready,” warned Dick, seeing that his weapon was in order as best he could in his haste.

Suddenly they dashed into a small open space at the foot of a big tree. Half way up this tree was an odd sight. The professor, who had evidently climbed up by the aid of some small branches which grew almost down to the ground, was clinging to the trunk with one arm while the other appeared to be thrust into a hole in the tree.

As the boys came to a momentary halt his yells redoubled, and from the interlacing boughs above, a gorgeous bird swooped down and flew at the professor’s head, screeching and flapping its wings and snapping its big beak in a very menacing manner.

“It’s a macaw! A giant macaw!” cried Jack, as he noticed its gaudy, red, green and blue plumage.

“Ach! Take der bird avay! He bite me pretty soon alretty!” shouted the professor.

“Does that mean that he’s bitten him already, or that he’s going to?” asked Dick, laughing at the odd figure the professor cut.

Jack raised his rifle and took careful aim as the macaw hovered about the professor’s head. The next minute his weapon flashed and cracked sharply. There was a shout from the professor and a screech from the bird and it fell dead almost at their feet.

“Good shooting!” approved Tom, picking it up.

“You’re all right now, professor,” hailed Jack; “I’ve killed the bird.”

“Himmel! I vish you could kill its mate!” cried the Teuton piercingly.

“Why? What’s the trouble? Why don’t you come down?” demanded Jack, who noticed that the professor’s arm was still thrust within the tree.

“I can’t. Annuder macaw in der nest inside der tree has mein fingers be-grabbed.”

What was the matter now became plain enough. The professor must have wandered off in search of specimens while supper was getting ready. Seeing a macaw fly into a nest he had climbed the tree and imprudently thrust in his hand to obtain some eggs. Instantly his fingers had been gripped by the bird’s powerful beak, and he was held prisoner. To add to his troubles, the big bird that Jack had just shot had been harassing the disturber of its home in the tree trunk.

Jack felt more inclined to laugh than anything else at the little naturalist’s plight. But he stifled his mirth and hailed the spectacled German again.

“Hold on, professor. We’ll climb up there and kill it.”

“Blitzen, nein! Not for de vurld vould I haf you kill idt!” was the excited response.

“But it’s holding your hand! It will hurt you! You may get blood poisoning!”

“Nein, I haf on a gluff. Idt cannot hurdt me. Idt is a fine spezimen. Can’t you preak indo der tree midt your axes undt dig him out?”

“We might try,” said Jack rather dubiously, “but I should think it would be better to pull your hand out of your glove.”

But by no persuasion would the professor consent to do this. He declared that he was willing to stand on the tree all night if the boys would only do him a favor and dig through the bark and give him a chance to seize the macaw within. Jack clambered up to the professor’s side and tapping the wood with his axe soon saw that it was a mere shell.

“I’ll soon chop you out of that,” he said, giving the wood a hard whack.

“Chently! chently! I peg off you,” urged the professor; “he is a fine spezimen. Nodt for vurlds vould I haf him ge-hurt.”

“The bird isn’t as considerate toward you,” thought Jack as the professor broke off with a cry of pain caused by an extra hard tweak that the bird had given his imprisoned hand.

A few blows smashed the rotten wood away and as it crashed inward, releasing the professor, he lost his balance and slid down the trunk to t............