Edward
shouting for help and calling upon him to act, the words thundering in
his ears.

"Throw it off, Mr Jack, sir. Chuck it away. D'ye hear me? Oh, I say,
do something, or you'll be stung."

But the lad did not stir, merely remained in the same attitude with his
arm outstretched. He was, however, fully conscious of what was going
on, and he watched with a feeble kind of interest the action of the man,
wondering what he would do.

For Ned, as he grasped his young master's peril, did the most natural
thing in the world to begin with, he called loudly for help; but fully
grasping the fact that as he was nearest the first help ought to come
from him, he dashed to Jack's side.

"Ugh!" he cried angrily, "I can't abear snakes and toads. If I touch
him he'll sting me too. Tied himself up in a knot too. Don't try to
chuck it off, Mr Jack, the beggar will only be more savage and begin
stinging again. If I could only grab him by the neck I could finish
him, but he'd be too quick for me. Here, I know. That's right! Stand
still, sir."

This last was perfectly unnecessary, for the lad could not have stood
more motionless and rigid if he had been carved in marble.

"What a fool I am!" muttered Ned. "Thinking about cutting sticks when
there's something ready here to be cut. I don't want a stick."

He whipped his long hunting-knife out of the sheath fitted to his belt,
and the light flashed upon the keen-edged new blade which had never yet
been used.

"Now then," he said softly, "if I can only get one cut at you, my
gentleman, you shan't know where you are to-morrow."

The plan was good, but not easy of performance, for he could not cut
straight down at the reptile's neck without injuring Jack's arm, and for
a few moments he stood watching and waiting for an opportunity, but none
seemed likely to occur, and the serpent still held on by the boy's
wrist, and the front of its long, lithe, undulating body kept on gliding
about over the brightly-ironed white duck sleeve, the head playing about
the hollow of the elbow-joint, turning under the arm, and returning to
the top again and again.

"I can't get a cut at him--I can't get a cut at him," muttered Ned; and
then a happy thought came: he stretched out the point of the glistening
blade toward the serpent's head, till it was a few inches from it.

"I don't like doing it," he muttered fretfully; "it's running risks, and
setting a dose myself, but I must--I must;"