Part 85 (1/2)

She was not thinking of the else, perhaps of the blue water-lilies--perhaps of the springbok--but certainly not of thee of the lake

Her attention, however, was suddenly attracted to the birds

All at once, and without any apparent cause, they co around the tree, their cries and gestures betokening a high state of excitement or alarm

CHAPTER XLII

THE SPITTING-SNAKE

”What can be the matter withwrong surely! I see no hawk Perhaps they are fighting ao round and see I shall soon pacify the round the end of the lake, walked out upon the peninsula until she stood under the

There was no underwood The tree stood alone upon the very end of the spit of land, and Truey went close in to its trunk Here she stopped and looked up a sothe birds

As she approached, several of the little creatures had floards her, and alighted upon her ar to be fed They appeared to be in a state of alarm, and had come to her for protection

Soh she could see none

She looked around and above There were no hawks in the air, nor on the neighbouring trees,--no birds of prey of any kind Had there been one in the , she could easily have seen it, as the foliage was light and thin; besides a haould not have re so near What, then, caused the trouble a it--for they were as noisy and terrified as ever? Ha!

At last the enemy appears--at last Truey's eyes have fallen upon the monster who has disturbed the peaceful colony of weavers, and roused the a horizontal branch, grasping the lie serpent Its scales glittered as it ht Truey's eyes, and directed them upon the hideous reptile

When she first saw it, it was gliding spirally along one of the horizontal branches of the , and co, as it were, from the nests of the birds Her eyes, however, had scarce rested upon it, before its long slippery body passed fro head-foremost down the main trunk of the tree

Truey had scarce time to start back, before its head was opposite the spot where she had stood No doubt, had she kept her place she would have been bitten by the serpent at once; for the reptile, on reaching that point, detached its head from the tree, spread its jaide open, projected its forked tongue, and hissed horribly It was evidently enraged--partly because it had failed in its plundering intentions, not having been able to reach the nests of the birds,--and partly that the latter had repeatedly struck it with their beaks--no doubt causing it considerable pain It was further provoked by the arrival of Truey, in whonised the rescuer of its intended victihts at that e--as theof its eyes testified; and it would have sprung upon any creature that had unfortunately co in its way if she could avoid it It ht be a harmless serpent for all she knew; but a snake, nearly six feet in length, whether it be harmless or venomous, is a terrible object to be near; and Truey had instinctively glided to one side, and stood off from it as far as the water would allow her

She would have run back over the narrow isth told her that the snake was about to take that direction, and ht induced her to pass to one side of the peninsula, in hopes the reptile would follow the path that led out to the e, she stood gazing upon the hideous forazed

Had Truey known the character of that reptile, she would have trembled all the more She saw before her one of the -snake”--the cobra of Africa--far ener the _cobra de capello_ of India, because far more active in its movements, and equally fatal in its bite

Truey knew not this She only knew that there was a great ugly snake, nearly twice her own length, with a large open ue, apparently ready to eat her up That was fearful enough for her, poor thing! and she gazed and trery as the cobra appeared, it did not turn aside to attack her

Neither did it re loud hiss, it descended to the ground, and glided rapidly off

Itto pass it, and retreat to sorew at a distance off on the n, and was just beginning to feel safe again, when, all at once, the snake coiled itself upon the narrow neck of land, as if it intended to stay there

It had executed this manoeuvre so suddenly, and so apparently without premeditation, that Truey looked to discover the cause The listening for the earth The next instant it had assue of which projected its fierce head, with the scaly skin of its neck broadly extended, into that hood-like form which characterises the cobra

Truey, we have said, looked for the cause of this sudden change in the tactics of the reptile She learnt it at the first glance