Part 28 (2/2)

and he pointed it out

Several miles were covered, when they caive Aleck a let up in carrying Tom The youth now declared his foot felton Sa a cry from a distance

They listened intently, then Cujo held up his hand

”Me go an' see about dat,” he said ”Keep out ob sight, all ob you!” And he glided into the bushes with the skill and silence of a snake

Another wait ensued, and To his foot in a pool which was discovered not far froood, and the youth declared that by the morrow he reckoned he would be able to do a fair aress too rapidly

”But what a country this is!” he ht and day for a century and never ht I heard soo,” answered Sam ”I suppose the interior is alive with them”

”I dun see a monkey lookin' at us now, from dat tree,” observed Aleck ”See dem shi+nin' eyes back ob de leaves?” He pointed with his long forefinger, and both, boys gazed in the direction Then Toave a yell

”A monkey? That's a snake! Look out for yourselves!”

He started back and the others did the same And they were none too soon, for an instant later the leaves were thrust apart and a serpent's for a drop upon their very heads!

CHAPTER XX

THE FIGHT AT THE OLD FORT

For the instant after the serpent appeared nobody spoke orto the last degree, as was also that beady stare fro eyes

The stare was fixed upon poor Toh rooted to the spot Slowly the form of the snake was lowered, until only the end of its tail kept it up on the tree branch Then the head and neck began to swing back and forth, in a straight line with Tom's face

The horrible fascination held the poor, boy as by a spell, and he could do nothing but look at those eyes, which seemed to bum themselves upon his very brain Closer and closer, and still closer, they came to his face, until at last the reptile prepared to strike

Crack! It was Saht instant, and those beady eyes were ruined forever, and the wounded head twisted in every direction, while the body of the serpent, dropping froony Then the spell was broken, and Tom let out such a yell of terror as had never before issued from his lips

Crack! ca around too rapidly for a good aim to be taken, and only the tip of the tail was struck Then, in a mad, blind fashi+on, the snake coiled itself upon Aleck's foot, and began, with lightning-like rapidity, to encircle the coloredto pull the snake off with his hands ”Help! or Ise a dead man, shuah!”

”Catch hiht out his own pistol Watching his chance, he pulled the trigger twice, sending both bullets straight through the reptile's body Then Saround

But dead or alive the body still encircled Aleck, and the contraction threatened to cave in the colored asped ”Pull him off!”

Crack! went Tom's pistol once h of it, for it uncoiled slowly and fell to the ground in a heap, where it slowly shi+fted from one spot to another until life was extinct But neither the boys nor the colored man waited to see if it was really dead Instead, they took to their heels and kept on running until the locality was left a considerable distance behind

”That was a close shave,” said Toan to nurse his laive one the nightmare!”