A small, grayish-brown, weasel-like animal was peering with glittering eyes from between the legs of a chair. Its back was humped like a spitting cat’s and its fur was bristling angrily.
“A mongoose!” Tom exclaimed.
“Yup. That’s what made me yell,” Chow said. “You see, I was lyin’ on your bunk, boss, catchin’ forty winks till you come back. When I woke up, I put one foot down on the floor an’ the blamed thing bit me on the toe!”
As he spoke, the Texan bent down grumpily to inspect his injury. The sudden movement evidently startled the mongoose. Like lightning, it darted out and nipped Chow on the foot again!
“Yeeeow!” The cook gave a shriek of pain, tried to yank his foot away, lost his balance, and ended by falling heavily to the floor again.
Tom was unable to keep a straight face as he helped the cook up again. “I know it’s no laughing matter, Chow, but I just can’t help it!”
Chow sank down on the bunk to nurse his wounded foot and his equally injured dignity. He scowled at the mongoose which had returned to cover.
“Hydrophobiated varmint!” he growled.
56 THE ASTEROID PIRATES
The mongoose glared back, a menacing glitter in its beady eyes. It still hummed with fury.
“Watch it, pardner!” Tom warned. “It might go for you again! Where’d this critter come from?”
“I brung it here myself,” Chow confessed. “Figured it might make a right good watchdog.”
“A watchdog?” Tom was baffled.
“Fer you, boss-to ferret out that there pizenous cobra you was tellin’ me about.”
Tom stifled another outburst of laughter when he saw the cook’s earnest expression.
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