s none too soon, for the serpent
was beginning to make its way along the pole toward the mate's hands,
while it held on by tightening the folds of the lower part of its body.

The lad took aim at the knot twined round the hook, and then shivered as
he saw the head of the dangerous beast gliding, or more correctly thrust
along the ash handle, and changing the direction of the muzzle of the
piece a little to the left, he once more fired, when the snake's head
fell with a splash into the sea, the tight knot about the hook relaxed,
the tail fell limply, and writhing with a feeble motion, the two ends
hanging down together, prevented from falling by one twist round the
gaff.

"Bravo! well done, Jack!" cried the doctor. "I say, my lad, if you
begin by shooting like that you'll turn out a good shot. Now, Bartlett,
let's have the beast on board and see what it's like."

The mate placed the gaff across the bows of the gig and thrust an oar
over the stern, sculling the boat alongside, with the snake trailing in
the water. Then taking hold of the gaff handle, climbed on board, and
the prize was drawn on the deck, to lie writhing feebly and quite beyond
the power of doing mischief, but it was scarcely disfigured, the small
shot having done their work without much injuring the skin.

"Well, this is something to begin with," said Sir John, examining the
beautifully mottled creature, as it lay in the sun, the dark, almost
black ground of the skin showing up the ochre yellow markings, while in
certain lights the black glistened with iridescent hues.

"A good eight feet long," said the captain; "but you'd better be
careful. Cut his head off: he won't revive and show fight then."

"What, and spoil that beautiful skin!" cried the doctor. "No!"

"Get a length of stout fishing-line, Lenny," said the captain quietly;
and the man trotted forward, his companions of the crew making way for
him to pass, and then closing round again to examine the capture, which
kept on raising its head a little and letting it fall back on the deck,
after which a wave ran along the body right to the tail, which, instead
of being round and tapering off, showed the creature's adaptability for
an aqueous life by being flattened so that the end was something like
the blade of a sword.

"We had better start a spirit tub at once," said the doctor; and he bent
down over the head. "What sharp eyes!" he continued. "Malignant
looking little beast."

"That'