Griggs uttered one low whistle as he slipped his arm through the rein so
as to leave his hands at liberty, one to press back his cowboy's hat,
the other to sweep the gathering drops of perspiration from his brow.
"I never could abear snakes," he said huskily. Then after a pause he
drew a long, deep breath, to say with an attempt--a very sorry attempt--
at cheerfulness--"Well, we've found the kegs, anyhow."
"Yes," said Chris bitterly, "and where the snakes are."
"Bless 'em, yes!" said Griggs, looking in the direction of the horrible
reptiles. "Well, we don't want them."
"But we want the water."
"Of course."
"What's to be done, Griggs?"
"I can't think o' nothing but say _Sh_! to 'em to frighten them away."
"Oh, don't do that," cried Chris, in alarm. "It might make them attack
us."
"It might," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Well, I'm about beat. I've got
a tidy bit of pluck in me when I'm stirred up--as much as most men
have--but I can't stand rattlers. The idea of getting bitten sends a
cold chill all down my back. I'd a deal sooner be hugged by a grizzly.
Poison snakes and mad dogs make a regular coward of me."
"They would of anybody," said Chris. "But I say, what is to be done?"
"Sit down and wait, my lad. I s'pose snakes have some sense in 'em,
same as other critters. They're bound to find out before long that they
can't break the iron hoops nor bore through the staves to get at the
water; and when they're tired perhaps they'll give up and go home."
"But we can't wait. Father will be coming soon to see why we're so
long."
"Well, he'll be able to see without our telling him."
"But can't we do something to drive them away?"
"I know what I should do if we were in some places," said Griggs.
"Yes! What?"
"Light a big fire of brushwood and green-stuff that would make a
stifling smoke just to wind'ard of them. That would soon scare them
off."
"But there's not a handful of stuff that would burn," cried Chris, in
despair.
"Nary scrap, my lad."
"Look here; suppose we creep as near as we dare, and then fire off all
four barrels of our rifles as closely together as we could, right at
them. That would startle them into moving off."
"P'r'aps," said Griggs; "but the thing would be, which way would they
go?"
"Which way? Why, from where the smoke and fire came."
"Maybe, but I shouldn't like to risk it. I'm afraid we shall have to
wait, my lad--wait till it's dark. Snakes always go back to their holes
when the sun sets."
"But that will take so long, and I'm choking with thirst," cried Chris
peevishly. "I say, how would it do to keep on pitching great pieces of
stone in amongst them, or handfuls of small bits that would scatter and
make a noise?"
"Only make 'em savage, I'm afraid. I should have most faith in putting
a pound of powder and laying a train ready, so that one could light a
bit of touch-tinder and get away to a safe distance. When that went off
with a good explosion, I should think the rattlers would scuttle away."
"Oh, nonsense, nonsense, Griggs!" cried Chris. "Who's to go and lay the
train and place the powder ready?"
"Ah, that would be awkward," said the American thoughtfully.
"Besides, if you had such an explosion you'd burst the barrels."
"Hah! So we should. I say, couldn't lasso the barrels, could we? I
can throw a noose pretty well."
"You'd catch serpent as well as the barrels."
"Yes, and that would be nice, to have a savage rattler thrashing and
striking about, trying to get his fangs into you somewhere. Say, Chris
Lee, lad, we've got in a tangle. Hallo! I thought as much; here's the
doctor."
The gentleman in question rode slowly up.
"Well," he said, "have you found the barrels?"
Chris answered him mutely by pointing to the objects of their search.
"Very well," said the doctor. "Why don't you--Oh, I see, you've just
dismounted to sling them across your saddle. We were beginning to think
you very long. But I don't see any snakes. Where are they, Chris?"
"Yonder, twining all about the water-kegs, father. It's alive with
them."
The doctor shaded his eyes with his hand and looked across at the
barrels, his face contracting with horror at the sight which met his
eyes.
"No wonder you were so long," he said bitterly. "What do you propose to
do?"
"Nothing, father. We can't think of a way," said Chris sadly. "Can you
tell us?"
"There seems to be no way save one."
"Wait till the snakes have gone back to their holes, father?"
"Yes, after dark; and then it will not be a pleasant task to get the
kegs away. Worse and worse."
"Oh, there can't be anything worse, sir," cried Griggs.
"I think there can, sir," replied the doctor. "This forces us to
bivouac, as the soldiers call it, in the serpent-inhabited desert. But
we must do it, I suppose. The snakes will not be stirring during the
darkness. But we must hope that when we find the gold region, it will
not be such a serpent-haunted spot as this; the gold could not have
better guardians to keep it safe."
No one spoke for a few minutes, during which the doctor sat upon his
horse watching the movements of the serpents.
"That seems to be the only way," he said at last.
"To wait, father?"
"Yes. We had better build up a cairn with some of these stones to guide
us to the spot when we come to hunt for it in the dark."
"No need to build a cairn, sir, if I plant three or four stones on the
top of that big rock there."
"No; but what about finding it in the dark?"
"Lanthorn will set that right, sir."
"Very well. Up with them, then. Help him, Chris; I'll hold the
horses."
The reins were handed to the speaker, and Griggs pointed to a large
light-grey piece of lava.
"If you can lift one end of that, squire, to help me, that bit would
stand upright on the top of this block. This would do, for it's
light-coloured. Can you do it?"
"Oh yes; it's the same sort of stone as this," said Chris, pushing a
piece with his foot, "all full of holes, like sponge and cinder."
"Come on, then."
They stooped down one at either end of the fragment, some three feet
long and one wide, looking squared like a crystal, and as if Nature had
taken the first steps towards providing the builder of a house with a
piece to form part of a door-post.
"Yes, it's light enough," said Chris, lifting one end, and then uttering
a cry as he dropped it again, to start back, for there was a sharp hiss,
a dull rattling sound--not sharp enough for a rattle--and a large snake
glided from beneath, to curl up menacingly, while from the other side a
second had appeared, to begin writhing and darting about, striking at
random into the air as far as it could reach, while the doctor had hard
work to restrain the prancing horses.
Needless to say, Chris and his companion had lost no time in getting
beyond reach of the poisonous reptiles, and helping the doctor by each
seizing his horse's rein.
"A pretty narrow escape," cried the latter. "Why, the place is alive
with the reptiles."
"Looks like it, sir," said Griggs. "Dessay we're standing on some of
their holes now."
"But don't you see?" cried Chris excitedly; "that second one's pinned by
the tail. When I let my end fall it must have caught it fast."
"Rather a pity," said Griggs cynically. "It must have spoiled the
rattle. S'pose it hurts too. Look at him!--That's no good, my beauty.
Stone can't feel. Ah, you idiot, you don't belong to the wise serpents
we read about. Look at him biting at the stone."
"In impotent malice," said the doctor, watching the frantic efforts of
the reptile.
"That chap's safe enough now, Squire Chris."
"Safe! I shouldn't like to risk going near him."
"But you might; he's held fast by that tail of his, and all he could do
would be to thrash you with his long body."
"And bite," said Chris.
"Nay; his biting would go for nothing now."
"What about his fangs?"
"Snapped off like points of glass. They were sharp enough and poisonous
enough, but bound to say the poison's all out on the stone, along with
the teeth. Razors are very sharp and would make horrible cuts, but not
after you'd been chopping a piece of stone with them like that, eh,
doctor?"
"I think you are right, Griggs," said the doctor, who seemed fascinated
by the reptile's impotent struggles.
"Well, you are a sneak," cried Griggs. "Gahn with you! I'd put my tail
between my legs if I were you, only you haven't got none. That's right;
rattle away. I say, I hope he hasn't gone to fetch a lot of his mates
to pitch into us."
"That's not likely," said the doctor, as he watched the bigger and free
snake gliding swiftly away, heedless of the struggles of its companion,
which was evidently growing exhausted by its furious efforts to release
the lower portion of its body.
"What are you going to do?" said the doctor quickly, as Griggs handed
him his horse's rein again.
"I'm going to put that chap out of his misery, sir," replied the
American.
"No, no; don't fire. It's waste of a charge."
"Not a-going to, sir. There's more ways of killing a cat, you know,
than hanging it. Eh, Squire Chris?"
As he spoke Griggs put his hand to his belt, in which a stout keen
hunting or bowie-knife was stuck, and drew out the glittering blade.
"Going to cut his head off?" said Chris eagerly.
"Yes, unless you like to, squire."
"I will," cried Chris.
"I don't want you to run any risks, my boy," said the doctor. "Do you
think you can do it without danger?"
"Oh yes, father," said the lad, drawing his own perfectly new knife.
"See how slowly the thing keeps on lifting up its head, to hold it
quivering in the air before letting it fall down again on the rock."
"But if it saw you go near it might strike at you."
"I don't think so, father. Look, it must be blind. It has battered its
head horribly against the stone. I think it's quite blind."
"So it is, sir," said Griggs. "There's no more danger there, sir. Let
him do it. We want him to be cool and ready for anything now."
"May I do it, father?"
"Well, yes; but stand well at arm's length, and give a good, careful,
sweeping draw-cut with your knife."
Chris eagerly handed his rein to his father, and then went cautiously
towards the quivering reptile, which kept on rising up and falling down
inert with a regular action, save that it grew more slow.
Chris drew near till he was almost within striking distance, and waited
till the snake had risen to its greatest height, that is to say, about
two feet above the stone and three feet in all from the sand on which
the boy stood.
"Take care," said the doctor.
Chris made an offer, as boys call it, cutting horizontally from his left
shoulder, the knife flashing in the sunshine as it _whished_ through the
air, passing inches from the snake's neck; but the motion of the air
affected the reptile, which winced, dropped flat to the stone, and began
to writhe frantically.
"Be careful, Chris; there's a great deal of life in it yet."
"That was only a try, father," replied the boy; "I didn't try to cut it.
I will, though, now," he continued, as the writhing ceased; but the
battered head began to rise again slowly and steadily in the air till it
was at its greatest elevation, and seemed to be kept up by a stiffening
of the whole body.
Meanwhile, watching it carefully, the boy had advanced his foot a few
inches till he felt that he was in exact striking distance, when there
was another bright flash of rays reflected from the glistening blade, as
the cut was made and the snake dropped down again upon the stone, for
the writhings to recommence.
"Missed him?" cried Griggs excitedly.
"No; I just touched him with the point," said Chris coolly. "I wasn't
quite near enough."
Proof of the correctness of his words was given by a red mark or two on
the surface of the stone as the writhings ceased and the reptile began
once more to raise itself, quivering slowly till it was rigid, and at
its full height, when without a moment's pause the knife flashed again,
there was a vigorous draw-cut, and the dangerous head dropped with a
loud pat on the stone, leaving the erect neck and body stiffly poised
for a few moments, slowly waving to and fro, before falling like a piece
of stick, and seeming to break as part fell out of sight.
"Bravo!" cried Griggs.
"Ah, my boy! Mind!" cried the doctor.
But before his warning cry was half uttered there had been another flash
as of something glistening in the air, and Chris started back again,
receiving what felt to be a sharp blow in the chest, while a larger
rattlesnake than either of the others dropped back behind the stone and
glided rapidly away.
The doctor had Chris by the arms the next moment.
"Where--where did it strike you?" he cried.
"Here, father--such a thump," said the boy coolly, touching the fold of
his Norfolk jacket with his left hand. "Ugh! Something wet."
He snatched back his hand, to hold it out, for a tiny smear of moisture
to be seen glistening in the sun upon the palm of his hand.
The doctor seized him by the wrist, and then examined the fold of the
jacket.
"Do you feel anything--a prick in the chest?" he said hoarsely.
"No, father. It was a sharp thump, as if some one had thrown a stone."
"Here is the venom on the thick frieze," said the doctor, tearing open
the jacket and examining the thin flannel shirt beneath. "No! Thank
Heaven!" he cried, with a sigh of relief. "The fangs did not go
through. Chris, boy, you have escaped. If the reptile had driven its
fangs deeper, I fear that I couldn't have saved your life."
"That doesn't sound very nice, father," said the boy coolly; but Griggs
noted that he changed colour, and then laid his hands upon his father's
shoulders, after dropping his knife on the ground.
"It was a miss, doctor," said Griggs, breaking the silence, as he
scooped up some of the dried sand and rubbed Chris's hand, and with
another handful dried the fold of the jacket.
This he repeated two or three times, and also paused to look well inside
the fold next the boy's chest.
"Didn't go through, sir; that's for certain," he said. "There'll be no
danger in the poison as soon as it's dried in the sun."
"None whatever, I should say," replied the doctor. "There, let's get
away from this horrible place. I don't know how we're going to get
those kegs again. The danger seems too great."
"Not after dark, sir," said Griggs coolly. "We must have 'em though,
and I'm going to do it somehow, cost what it may."
The next minute they had mounted and were riding slowly back to where
the others were about to come in search of them, in alarm at their
prolonged absence.