it at the dangerous-looking head with the
intention of crushing it; but the stone hit upon the rocky ground a
little on one side of the mark and, being soft, flew into a hundred
small fragments. This roused the creature's anger, and in a moment with
raised head he was gliding swiftly towards me. Again I retreated, not
so slowly on this occasion; and finding another stone, I raised and
was about to launch it when a sharp, ringing cry issued from the bushes
growing near, and, quickly following the sound, forth stepped the forest
girl; no longer elusive and shy, vaguely seen in the shadowy wood, but
boldly challenging attention, exposed to the full power of the meridian
sun, which made her appear luminous and rich in colour beyond example.
Seeing her thus, all those emotions of fear and abhorrence invariably
excited in us by the sight of an active venomous serpent in our path
vanished instantly from my mind: I could now only feel astonishment
and admiration at the brilliant being as she advanced with swift, easy,
undulating motion towards me; or rather towards the serpent, which was
now between us, moving more and more slowly as she came nearer. The
cause of this sudden wonderful boldness, so unlike her former habit, was
unmistakable. She had been watching my approach from some hiding-place
among the bushes, ready no doubt to lead me a dance through the wood
with her mocking voice, as on previous occasions, when my attack on the
serpent caused that outburst of wrath. The torrent of ringing and to
me inarticulate sounds in that unknown tongue, her rapid gestures, and,
above all, her wide-open sparkling eyes and face aflame with colour made
it impossible to mistake the nature of her feeling.

In casting about for some term or figure of speech in which to describe
the impression produced on me at that moment, I think of waspish, and,
better still, avispada--literally the same word in Spanish, not having
precisely the same meaning nor ever applied contemptuously--only to
reject both after a moment's reflection. Yet I go back to the image of
an irritated wasp as perhaps offering the best illustration; of some
large tropical wasp advancing angrily towards me, as I have witnessed a
hundred times, not exactly flying, but moving rapidly, half running and
half flying, over the ground, with loud and angry buzz, the glistening
wings open and agitated; beautiful beyond most animated creatures in
its sharp but graceful lines, polished su