HOCKLEY AND THE BOA-CONSTRICTOR
“It is high time the boys came back.”
So spoke Professor Strong, on the evening following the departure of
Frank and Mark up the Orinoco. It was after nine o’clock, and all was
silent around the camp save for the distant cries of the night birds
and the howling of the monkeys. The professor stood on the edge of
the bluff, gazing anxiously through the gloom that overhung the broad
watercourse.
“It is odd they are not back,” said Darry, who was close at hand. “I
hope no harm has befallen them.”
Hockley had already thrown himself down in the tent and was fast
asleep, despite a plague of gnats which had but recently put in an
appearance. Sam sat by the fire sewing up a hole he had torn in his
jacket. The Indian was at the water’s edge, fishing with a net he had
made of braided vines.
As the time slipped by Professor Strong, Darry and Sam grew more
anxious and none of them felt like going to sleep. The Indian came in
and threw himself down and then the others sat down to talk in whispers.
By daybreak the professor had made up his mind to go after the missing
ones. He decided to take Cubara with him, leaving the others to watch
the camp.
“If I find the boys I’ll be back before dinner time,” said Professor
Strong. “If not, I won’t return until they are found.”
“Well, I’m sure I hope you have quick luck,” said Sam. “We’ll be very
anxious until you return.”
Soon the professor and the Indian were out of sight and the boys
turned back to put the camp in order. Hockley threw himself on a rock,
declining to take a hand in the work.
“You ought to do your share,” said Sam. “It’s not fair to expect us to
do everything.”
“You shut up!” cried Hockley. “I’ll do as I please. If you say a word
I’ll pitch into you!”
He was in an ill humor and spoiling for a fight, as Darry and Sam could
readily see. Yet Sam was not daunted.
“It’s not fair, Hockley. Everybody ought to do his share of the work,”
he went on.
“Oh, leave him alone, Beans,” came from Darry. “We can’t stop him from
being lazy.”
The words had scarcely been uttered when the angry youth, caught up a
billet of wood and flung it at Darry. It struck the lad in the shoulder
hurting him not a little. Darry rushed at him, but leaping up with a
club in his hands, Hockley stood on guard.
“Leave me alone!” he exclaimed. “The first of you to get too close will
get a crack with this.”
“Let us both pitch into him,” came from Sam. “He ought to have a
first-class thrashing.”
“You let me alone!” howled Hockley. “Don’t you dare to touch me!”
“Drop that club,” came from Darry. “Drop it, I say, or Sam and I will
certainly pitch into you and you’ll get more than you want.”
“I--I won’t drop the club until you promise to let me alone.”
“Why did you fling that piece of wood at me?”
“You hadn’t any right to jaw at me.”
“It was your business to do your share of the work here.”
A war of words followed, and in the end Hockley dropped the club and
consented to do some of the work. As soon as it was finished, he
picked up his gun and started to move off.
“Where are you going?” demanded Darry. “The professor told us to remain
here until he got back.”
“I’m going down the river a bit. I reckon there’s no harm in that,”
answered Hockley and without waiting for further argument he strode
away and was soon lost to sight in the jungle.
“He wouldn’t go off like that if he wasn’t boiling mad,” observed Sam.
After cleaning up the two boys started in to fish, there being nothing
else by which to while away the time. But biting was not lively, and
after half an hour of only fair success they walked up the bluff again.
They had just reached the tent when they heard a gunshot, followed by a
yell of fright.
“That’s Hockley!” ejaculated Darry. “He has stirred up something and it
has scared him to death.”
“Help! help!” came faintly to their ears. “Help!”
“We had better go and see what is the matter,” said Sam, and caught up
a rifle. Darry had already reached for a shotgun, and thus armed both
boys sped down the bluff again and in the direction from whence the
cries proceeded.
They had not far to go. Beyond the bend of the stream was an inlet
and back of this a somewhat open glade, bordered by half a dozen
low-drooping rubber trees. Among these trees stood Hockley, fairly
paralyzed with terror and close at hand, swinging from a branch, was a
boa-constrictor all of fifteen feet in length.
[Illustration: “Help! save me!” screamed the unfortunate youth.]
“Oh, what a snake!” burst out Darry, and then stood still, hardly
knowing whether to proceed or not.
Sam said nothing, but brought his rifle to his shoulder, took quick aim
and pulled the trigger. The bullet sped true and buried itself in the
boa-constrictor’s neck.
The shot awakened Darry to action and now he too blazed away, peppering
the big snake in the head and body. The second shot from his gun was
at close range and fairly tore a piece of skin from the huge reptile’s
neck.
But a boa-constrictor is not easily killed, and though badly wounded it
yet had a great deal of fight in it. Still holding to the tree branch
with its tail it shot forth its body and in an instant had Hockley by
the waist.
“Help! save me!” screamed the unfortunate youth. “Oh, please save me!
Don’t let him crush me to pieces!”
In an agony of fear he tried to pull himself loose, but without avail.
The snake lifted him up from the ground with ease, intending doubtless
to crush him to a jelly on the tree trunk.
But now Sam rushed as close as had Darry. The rifle was a repeating
weapon--one of the best the party possessed--and shoving it at the
snake’s head the youth let drive twice in quick succession. Then,
without waiting to see the effect of these shots, he put two additional
bullets in the boa-constrictor’s body. The reptile quivered from head
to tail then remained motionless.
It was an anxious moment and the hearts of all three boys seemed
to stop beating. Hockley tried to call out, but could not, for the
boa-constrictor was fairly crushing in his ribs.
But after that moment had passed the boys saw that they had won the
battle. The head of the boa-constrictor dropped and the muscles of the
huge body relaxed. Then Hockley slipped to the damp earth and slowly
the reptile’s body dropped on top of him.
“He must be dead,” whispered Darry, hoarsely, and with his gun started
to release Hockley from the loathsome weight. Sam assisted, and soon
they had him free and was dragging him out of harm’s way. From a safe
distance they watched the boa-constrictor and at last felt certain that
it was dead.
“He’s in a bad way,” said Sam, leaning over Hockley. The youth lay in a
heap, totally unconscious and breathing with difficulty.
“It was awful,” returned Darry. “What a close shave! Let us take him
down to the river and bathe his face.”
They did as suggested, but even this failed to revive Hockley. Then
Darry ran back to the camp for some medicine which was administered
with care. But it was fully an hour before Hockley opened his eyes.
“Take him off!” he moaned. “Take the horrible thing off!”
“You’re safe now, Hockley,” said Darry, kindly. “The boa-constrictor
is dead.” But Hockley was now out of his mind and did not understand,
and he continued to plead most piteously that they save him from being
crushed to death.
“We’ll have to carry him back to camp,” said Sam, and this was done. It
was no easy task to get the hurt one up the bluff. Once in camp they
fixed Hockley a soft bed and did all they could to make him otherwise
comfortable.
“I never want to see another boa-constrictor, not even in a menagerie,”
declared Sam. “I’ll dream of that thing for a week.”
The boys remained in camp after that. It was nightfall before Hockley
came to his senses and then he complained of a severe pain in the
chest. They uncovered him and rubbed him down with liniment.
“Is it dead?” he asked. “How did you kill it?” And when they told him
he shook his head slowly, as if in wonder. Later on he called them both
to him. “I’m much obliged for what you did,” he said humbly. “It was
great. I shan’t forget it. I’m sorry we had the row.”
“So am I sorry,” returned Sam, and Darry nodded to show he agreed. “We
can’t afford to quarrel out here, Jake. We may need each other’s help,
eh?”
“That’s just what I was thinking. I guess I was a big fool to start it
anyway. Let’s call it off, will you?”
“Certainly!” cried Darry.
“With all my heart,” came from Sam.
Hockley took the hand of each and pressed it briefly. He looked one and
the other in the eyes and then his gaze dropped. “All right, we’ll be
friends,” he said, in a lower voice than ever.
Nobody felt like talking after this. Darry started up the fire and got
out some things for dinner. Sam brought up the fish and cleaned them.
Hockley turned over on his back and dozed away, occasionally uttering
a low groan. Yet every one of the lads felt better because of what had
just passed.