Now it chanced that the sight of that great serpent was very gratifying
to the eyes of Groot Willem--far more so than any antelope. The reason
was, that a friend of his, a young doctor of Graaf Reinet, who was fond
of the study of herpetology, had requested him to bring home the skins
of such rare snakes as he might fall in with--but especially that of the
great "rock-snake," which is not found in the colony, not even so far
south as the Orange River.
Here was a chance for the skin, which, up to this time, Groot Willem had
searched for in vain.
He had another reason for being gratified; and that was the splendid
trophy it would be, provided he succeeded in obtaining it. To kill a
snake twenty feet long, and half as thick as a man--for the python
appeared to be both--would be no small triumph! Where would Hendrik be
then?
All at once the steenbok was forgotten, and the snake became the object
of the hunter's skill.
Groot Willem had no skill about him. He knew of no mode to attack this
new sort of enemy, except dealing with it as he would with a quadruped--
that is, sending a bullet into it; and this he did the moment after.
His roer was levelled; and, glancing through his ivory sights, he fired
the large ball through the thickest part of the reptile's body.
The latter felt the shot; and, suddenly unfolding itself, dropped the
steenbok--now nothing more than a mangled carcase, with scarce a whole
bone in it. The rapidity with which the snake glided off showed that
the wound had done it but little harm.
The hunter thought of reloading again, when he perceived the serpent
fast making to the rocks that in large masses lay piled up near the
bottom of the cliff. Among these was its retreat; and if it once
reached them, Groot Willem saw that he should never set eyes on it
again.
Without staying to reload his gun, then, he ran in among the trees, and
followed the direction taken by the serpent.
Although these snakes glide along with considerable rapidity, they can
by no means go so fast as a man; and in less than a dozen seconds Groot
Willem had overtaken the python, and for that matter might have trodden
upon its tail.
There he was close beside the fearful-looking monster, but without the
knowledge how to attack it. He began by striking at its body with the
butt of his gun; but although his blows were delivered fairly enough,
the metal-shod heel of his roer only glanced from the slippery skin of
the snake, without harming it in the least, or even retarding its
progress towards the cliff. It made no attempt to retaliate, but only
seemed bent on escaping to its lair.
It was almost successful; for although Groot Willem pounded away with
all his might, it reached the rocks in spite of him, and had buried half
of its long body within a crevice--no doubt the entrance to its den--
before the hunter thought of changing his tactics.
It was now a critical moment with Groot Willem. Another instant, and
the remaining half of the snake would slip out of sight, and then
good-bye to it. What would he say to his medical friend? What to
Hendrik and the yagers?
These thoughts inspired him with renewed energy; a new determination to
succeed came over him. The snake was not a poisonous one; and,
therefore, the encounter could not be very dangerous. It might bite
him, but he had battled with many a biting creature before now, and
conquered them, too. He would try his strength upon the snake.
He was not two seconds of time on coming to this determination; and, as
soon as he had done so, he tossed his roer aside, and stooping down,
seized the tail of the snake in both hands, and commenced hauling upon
it!
At the first "pluck" he drew the reptile several feet outward; but, to
his surprise, it then held fast; and, notwithstanding his great
strength, he was unable to draw it a foot farther. The creature had, no
doubt, got the fore-part of its body around an angle in the rocks; and,
aided by its scaly skin, was enabled to hold fast.
Groot Willem pulled with all his might. A sailor in a storm could not
have hauled harder upon the main brace; but all to no purpose, as not
another foot of that part of the python that was still visible could be
lengthened. About the half of it was still outside, but the other ten
feet were buried within the dark recesses of the rocks.
For several minutes Groot Willem continued to exert his strength,
dragging the long cylinder until he could hear its vertebrae crack, but
without gaining an inch! On the contrary, he had already lost several
inches. Every time that he relaxed his hold, the python was enabled to
move forward a bit, and this ground it never gave up again. If Groot
Willem allowed it an inch, it was sure to struggle for an ell! It had
all the advantage on its side, as it pulled _with the grain_, while its
antagonist was exerting his strength _against_ it.
Groot Willem felt confident he could hold the python in this position,
as long as he could stand upon his feet; but what good would there be in
so doing? He could not kill it in that way. If he were to "let go" for
but an instant, he very well knew that the next instant would show him
the last inch of the tail disappearing into the crevice! No, he could
not let go, and he was resolved not to let go, until he should at least
try the patience of his opponent. Maybe it would tire of being thus
held upon the "stretch," and would let him pull it out again.
If there had only been some one with him to administer a few smart blows
upon the creature's body it would have been all well; but the camp was
at a very long distance off, and behind the trees. His companions could
neither see nor hear him.
After standing on the strain a considerable time, a bright idea entered
the brain of the hunter. There grew a small tree beside him--in fact,
he was close by its trunk. The thought occurred that, if by any means
he could fasten the tail to the tree, he could then go to work with a
sapling, and beat the snake to death at his pleasure.
He was a ready fellow, Groot Willem, and a few moments sufficed him to
mature his plans. He chanced to have a strong "cord" in the ample
pocket of his jacket, which would serve to effect the very purpose, if
he could only manage somehow to make it fast to the tail. This he
proceeded to do at once.
Straddling the snake, so as to hold it partly between his knees, he was
enabled to loop the cord tightly around it, and the thing was done. In
a minute more, the other end of the cord was tightly knotted around the
trunk of the tree!
Groot Willem now broke off a sapling, determined either to beat the
hinder half of the python to a jelly, or make it surrender and show its
head!
He had not delivered the third blow, when it adopted the latter
alternative; and the whole of its body now glided rapidly back out of
the crevice--so rapidly that Groot Willem was not able to avoid the
onset of the enraged reptile, and the next moment he was gathered within
its coils!
So quick was the act, that he scarce knew how it had been accomplished.
He saw the head, with its open jaws extended, dart towards him; he
sprang to one side, but felt the cold scaly body against his limbs as if
pulling him towards the tree; and the moment after, he was swept close
up to the trunk, and pressed tightly against it!
He had just time to perceive that the folds of the serpent were around
his limbs, and also around the trunk of the tree,--just time to feel
that they were gradually tightening upon him--when the head, with its
extended jaws and terrible teeth, came right opposite his face, and the
eyes of the monster gleamed right into his!
A horrid spectacle it was--a horrid situation he was in; but Groot
Willem was not the boy to lose either courage or presence of mind; and,
finding his arms still free, he clutched forward and seized the reptile
by the throat. To hold its head was just as much as he was able with
both hands and with all his strength; but he held with the grasp of
despair. Fortunate it was for him that the tail of the python was
secured by the rheim, and it was thus held fast at both ends! Had it
been otherwise--had either head or tail been free, so that it could have
used its power of constriction--in a few seconds more, Groot Willem
would have been crushed as he had seen the little antelope. But now
that both tail and head were fixed--the one by the cord and the other in
the strong grasp of the hunter--the serpent was unable to exert its
terrible power; and its folds remained loose around the limbs of its
intended victim!
It writhed its neck, and wriggled its body, and changed the spiral rings
from one part to another,--but all in vain. It could do him no harm!
How long this terrible struggle might have lasted would have depended
upon how long the strength of the two could have held out. Groot Willem
could not free himself from the folds of his antagonist, as _both_ his
legs were bound to the tree; and had he dropped the head of the python
for a moment, he knew it would crush him to death. The snake, on the
other hand, could not free itself, as it was held fast at both
extremities. What was to be the result? Which would be the conqueror?
The serpent must have conquered in the end; though it might not have
been able to free itself, as its tail was fastened to the tree. But
Groot Willem was not able to strangle it, with all the compression he
was exercising upon its throat, and his strength would have yielded in
time. Most certainly would he have fallen a victim, but for a plan that
he at length adopted to set himself free.
During all the continuance of the fight between him and the serpent, he
had not attempted to use his knife. He had not thought of such a weapon
against such an enemy. Not dreaming that he would be brought into close
quarters, he had almost forgotten that he carried a knife. By good
fortune he had one, and it was in his belt. Even though one or two
folds of the snake were around his breast, he could see the handle of
the knife above them; and making a sudden grasp, he laid hold of it, and
drew it forth.
The blade chanced to be almost as keen as a razor; and although the
serpent now succeeded in twisting its head partially free, before it
could tighten its folds, the sharp edge of the knife had half severed
its body in twain!
A second gash was made in another part, and then a third and still
deeper one; and the resolute hunter had the gratification to see the
spiral rounds that threatened his destruction fall off and drop heavily
to his feet!
In a short while the python lay dead upon the ground; and Groot Willem,
although he felt that he had secured a great triumph, left the spot with
some regret that he had _spoiled the skin_!