d settled directly upon Jerry's body!

For a moment Jerry was too paralyzed with fear to move or speak. Then as
he recovered he threw off the snake and rolled away, over Harry and close
to the boggy spot. Harry also turned away, but came up against a heavy
mass of brush.

The snake hissed angrily. The pressure of Jerry's foot on its head had
just been sufficient to arouse its anger. It meant to strike if it could.

"Hit it with your gun!" shouted Harry.

"You hit it!" cried our hero. "Oh!"

The snake was again coming on, its long, green body quivering in the spots
of sunlight which shot under the trees. There was no doubt but what it
intended to fight the intruders. More than likely it had a nest of young
near.

Bang!

The shot was a square one, and when the smoke from the gun cleared away it
was found that the reptile's head was completely severed from the body,
which latter continued to twist about until it fell into the water of the
bog hole. Jerry kicked the head in after it, out of sight.

"Let us get out of here," he said, with a shudder. "Who knows but what we
have dropped into a regular nest of snakes."

That he was right in his surmise was soon evident, for low hissings could
be heard on several sides. Without delay they sprang across the bog swamp
and took to the higher ground, where they could see every foot of the way
before them.

"I've had snakes enough to last me the rest of the summer," soliloquized
Jerry. "I hate them worse than anything else in the world. Look!"

He pointed on ahead, to where there was a tree almost loaded with game
birds. At a sign from Jerry both raised their guns and fired.

There was a flutter and a whirr, and then came a number of shrill cries
from the birds which were wounded. These the boys at once proceeded to put
out of their misery.

"Four birds," said Harry, as he counted the lot. "That wasn't bad, eh?"

"You're right, Harry. We won't get another such shot if we tramp all
day."

"I move we get back to the yacht. We have come a good distance, and it
will be more than dinner time before we can make it."

"I am with you. We can go out hunting again this afternoon, or try our
hand at fishing."

With the birds in their bags, Jerry and Harry set out on the return to the
landing.

On the way they talked over the great yacht races soon to come off, and
also of the proposed trip through the Poplar River to the large lake
beyond.

"It will be a dandy trip," sa