down by the waterfall," cried
Rifle.

"Yes; it's aunt sure enough," said Norman, as they saw the old lady
hurrying toward them.

"It must be the blacks come at last," cried Tim; "and oh, boys, we have
not got our guns!"

"Who's going about always tied to a gun?" cried Norman, angrily.--"Here,
aunt, what's the matter?"

"Oh, my boy, my boy!" cried the old lady, throwing her arms about the
lad's neck, as he reached her first, and with so much energy that she
would have upset him, and they would have fallen together had not his
brother and cousin been close behind ready to give him their support.

"But don't cling to me, auntie," cried Norman, excitedly. "If you can't
stand, lie down. Where are they?"

"In--in the kitchen, my dear," she panted; and then burst into a
hysterical fit of sobbing, which came to an end as the boys hurriedly
seated her beneath a tree.

"How many are there, aunt?" whispered Rifle, excitedly.

"Only one, my boys."

"One?" cried Norman. "I say, boys, we aren't afraid of one, are we?"

"No," cried the others.

"But I wish old Tam o' Shanter was here with his nulla-nulla."

"Never mind," said Norman, flushing up as he felt that, as eldest, he
must take the lead. "There is no chance to get the guns. We'll run
round by the wood-house; there are two choppers and an axe there. He
won't show fight if he sees we're armed."

"I don't know," said Rifle, grimly. "He must be a fierce one, or he
wouldn't have ventured alone."

"Perhaps there are a dozen of 'em behind, hiding," said Tim. "Shall we
cooey?"

"No," said Norman, stoutly. "Not till we've seen. He may be only
begging after all. Come on."

"Stop! Stop! Don't leave me here," cried Aunt Georgie excitedly, as
the boys began to move off.

"But we can't take you, aunt," said Rifle, soothingly, "with a lot of
blacks about."

"Blacks? Where?" cried Aunt Georgie rising.

"Where you said: in the kitchen."

"Stuff and nonsense, boy! I never said anything of the kind. I said it
was a snake."

"Snake!" cried the boys in chorus.

"You didn't say anything of the kind, aunt," cried Norman, indignantly.

"Don't contradict, sir. I declare I never said a word about blacks. I
went into the kitchen and heard a rustling sound between me and the
door, and I thought it was one of the fowls come in to beg for a bit of
bread, when I looked round, and there on the floor was a monstrous great
serpent, twining and twisting about,