But the snake, maddened by its bond, struck again at me viciously, his
darting tongue almost touching my shrinking flesh.
A blood-red mist rose suddenly before my eyes. My head swam. My
overwrought brain, paralyzed by horror, became unbalanced. I felt a
tightness in the throat. In my ears once again I heard the hiss of the
loathsome reptile, a venomous, threatening hiss, as its dark shadow
darted before me, struggling to strike my cheek.
Through the red mist I saw that the candle burned so low that the edge
of the wax was on a level with the green silk cord, that slender
thread which withheld Death from me.