ee more
of the men."

"Then, whether or not any of the rest stay with us, we shall manage to
do very well," he said in a cheerful tone. "Now, after the experience
of last night, I am anxious at once to build a cottage for your mother
and Edith, in which they will be more comfortable than in a tent. I
told your father, who said he should be much obliged if I would do so;
and to show the men that we are independent of them, I proposed that we
should set about it at once. The timber about here is too large for the
purpose, but I saw some near the mouth of the river which will serve
well for uprights and rafters; and if we can get Doyle to accompany us,
we will set off at once with our axes and begin to cut it. Tell the
other boys; and they can bring the logs here which we cut down, when
your father and Burton will set them up. Perhaps we shall shame some of
the other men into offering their assistance."

Harry and Tom were well-pleased to have something to do, and agreed that
the two of them could easily carry a log the distance these had to come,
unless it was unusually heavy. The men saw us setting off, but
continued sitting round the fire smoking their pipes, without inquiring
where we were going or what we were about to do.

We soon reached the spot, where, a short distance from the beach below
the cliffs, grew a number of small palm-trees with straight, clean
stems, exactly suited for our purpose. We soon cut down two; with which
the boys trotted off, one at each end, telling us to be ready with a
couple more by the time they came back. The heat under the cliff was
very great, and had there not been a sea-breeze we could not, I think,
have endured it. Mudge threw off his jacket, and tucking up his shirt
sleeves, set manfully to work. Doyle did the same; and each had cut
down two trees before I had felled one. Doyle then went on towards some
trees which he saw farther off, leaving me at work a little distance
from Mudge.

I was chopping away, when I heard Mudge give an extraordinary shriek;
and looking towards him, what was my horror to see him on the ground
encircled in the folds of a huge serpent, whose head was raised high in
the air as if about to dart its fangs into him! His axe had fallen to
the ground, so that he was unable to defend himself. I sprang towards
him with my axe uplifted; and I must have attracted the serpent's
attention, for instead of striking its prisoner it turned its head
towa