"Well, bring on your monsters," said the old hunter, as he walked toward the little lake, where wild ducks abounded. "I'll try and shoot some for you." "Andy takes everything as a matter of course," went on Jack. "No sort of animal seems to frighten him. If he should happen to meet a dinotherium, such as used to live ages ago, he'd shoot it first, and wonder about it afterward." "And we, are likely to meet with stranger beasts than dinotheriums on Mars," said Mr. Roumann. "What am dat dinotherium?" asked Washington, entering the room at that moment and catching the word. "Washington wants to work that into his conversation!" exclaimed Jack with a laugh. "But you want to be careful, Wash." "Why so, Massa Jack?" "Because the dinotheriurn was a fearful beast. It was about twenty feet long, lived in the water, and ate all sorts of weeds." "How long you say he was?" "About twenty feet." "He must eat a pow'ful sight ob weeds, den. Wish I had one." "What for?" "Cause mah garden am jest oberrun wid weeds. If I had one ob dem dinnasorriouses--" "Dinotheriums," corrected Jack. "Dat's what I said," observed Washington with dignity. "If I had one ob dem, I wouldn't hab t' weed mah garden. Where am one to be possessed ob, Massa Jack?" "I guess you were born a few million years too late," was the lad's answer. "They lived a few centuries before the flood." "Good land!" exclaimed Washington, his eyes opening wide. "Before Noah built de ark?" "Yes." "Landy gracious! Dat animai'd be so old by dis time dat he couldn't chew de weeds after he pulled'em. Guess I'll hab t'do mah own weedin'." "I reckon you will," added Mark. They went back to the machine shop, and for the next week were very busy over the Annihilator. It was beginning to assume shape, and some of the machinery was installed. One evening, after a hard day's work, when they 'were all seated in the big living-room of Professor Henderson's home, discussing the progress they were making, Jack suddenly held up his hand for silence. "What's the matter?"' asked Mark. "I thought I heard somebody walking around the house," was the stout lad's answer. "Maybe it's Washington," suggested the professor. "He generally goes out to see if his chickens are shut up. He is very proud of his flock of hens, and seems to hate to kill any for pot-pie." They all listened. Plainly there was some one or some animal moving about under the windows of the living-room. "That doesn't sound like Washington," said Mr. Roumann. Just then the colored man, who had been upstairs, attending to some of the housework (for he was the only servant the professor kept), came down. "Were you just outside, Washington?" asked Mr. Henderson. "No, sah. I'se been upstairs, makin' beds." "There it is again!" cried Jack suddenly. The footsteps sounded more plainly, and one of the window shutters rattled. "Dat's somebody after mah chickens!" exclaimed the colored man. "I'se gwine t' git him, too!"