Part 20 (1/2)
”It won't be pleasant to have this fellow close under us, as the hyenas and jackals will to a certainty collect to feast off hi him off as far as we can To be sure, if we hadn't found the ostrich eggs, we should have been thankful to get some steaks off him; as it is, we s should not be as fresh as we s will have no objection to as ive them”
”You don't mean to say that we may have to eat some of that horrible snake!” cried Percy
”I ood junk of it,” answered Denis ”We nificent sturgeon”
”Oh, do let us get the fire lighted first, and cook an egg,” cried Percy ”Without food I a that snake a dozen feet”
To this Denis agreed Having hted their fire, but they had to wait till soin to cook one of the eggs In the meantime Denis cut some slices from the thicker part of the snake's body, and sos very speedily disposed of He then began to drag it away, but alone he could scarcely ed to assist hiet far, however, but hurried back, pretty well exhausted, to cook the eggs they were longing for Denis perfor a s in soht with the was cooked It was soon done in this fashi+on; and greatly to the satisfaction of Percy, who dreaded having to sup off the snake's flesh, it was found to be perfectly sweet Although they had no water, they were able fro to eat a small portion of the biscuit they had in their pouches The th, as well as Percy's spirits
Having ed the body of the snake still farther from the camp Denis was inclined to remain under the tree, where he could stretch hiround
Percy entreated hi ere both to go to sleep, and the fire was to go out, and a lion was to co this ould becoreed to do as Percy wished, and ht, they clis
”We s also, or some wild beast or other , Raff, old fellow, catch hold of this;” and Denis, leaning down from the lowest branch, held out his handkerchief, which Raff, clearly understanding what he was to do, caught hold of, and was quickly hauled up Nothing however would induce Fangs to follow his example, and at last they were co evidently ht at the foot of the tree--probably that he ht enjoy at his leisure a further s, influenced by sinister motives, he was doomed to suffer severely for his folly
They soon selected for the the forked branches, where they hoped to be able to pass the night, if not in a very co pounced upon by a hungry lion
CHAPTER TWELVE
IN SEARCH OF WATER
After the fatigue and anxiety they had gone through, it was not long before Denis and Percy began to feel excessively drowsy
”Take care you don't fall off, Percy,” said Denis; ”or let your gun drop either I've fastened mine to my neckerchief, and I'd advise you to do the saun between two branches, so that there is no chance of falling,” answered Percy; ”but I'll s, for I would not lose them on any account, lest we should have to breakfast off that horrible snake”
”Little chance of that,”there won't be a scrap of it left”
Denis said this in a very drowsy tone His eyes were fixed on the fire, which seehtness, then to flit about, then totally to disappear, for the best of reasons, his eyes were closed Percy was also just going off, when his ears were assailed by a hideous uproar of shrieks and howls and barks
Looking out fro about in the direction of the spot to which the body of the snake had been dragged He guessed what they were, and was very thankful that he and his companion were safe up the tree
”Do you hear those brutes, Denis?” he asked; but there was no answer
He could see the place where he supposed his friend lay, but could not reach hiht have fallen off, and he was about to crawl along the branch to feel for hiht from the fire flickered on one of his arms, and he knew that he must be fast asleep He had not the cruelty to awaken hiot accustomed to the hideous chorus raised by the hyenas and jackals, his own eyes began to close He could justdown close to the trunk, and every now and then giving vent by a lol to his anger as he watched the savage creatures devouring the snake on which he had intended to breakfast
Percy had scarcely shut his eyes, when he was startled by hearing a terrific roar, and looking towards where the hyenas and jackals had been holding their revels, he saw thelare of the fire fell on the head and shoulders of an enor of brutes, however, looked disappointed at finding only a few scraps of a ning to touch the leavings of the jackals, he advanced a short distance towards the tree Afraid to approach nearer the fire, he stopped and began to roar loudly
”Roar away, old fellow,” cried Percy ”You'll not get hold of us”
That was true enough so far as he and Denis and Raff were concerned, but the case was very different with regard to poor Fangs Between him and the lion there was only a sle bound He prudently neither barked nor growled, but shrank closer and closer to the trunk, while the lion stood within a dozen yards of hi a terrific roar