adly in earnest, never
tries to strike further than his length for he has to get back in his
coil in a hurry, being helpless to defend himself unless curled up."

Jack showed that this was true by passing the spot, with the venomous
reptile only increasing his rattle and drawing back his head. Then Perk
shut his teeth hard and followed suit but it might have been noticed
that he kept to the extreme edge of the narrow trail and had his muscles
all set, as if in readiness to make a mighty spring if he thought the
snake was about to launch his coils forward.

"Whew!" hissed Perk, after he had safely negotiated the peril that lay
in the road, "I'm a'thinkin' what risks we got to run tonight when we
come a'snoopin' 'long this way. Nigh makes my hair curl to figure on
that baby comin' slap up against my leg. Wish now I had my old leather
huntin' leggings with me to ward off them terrible fangs, each one an
inch long, seemed like to me."

"Between us, brother, I myself don't seem to hanker traveling along this
trail after dark, and I mean to carry that small flash of mine, turning
the light on every few seconds for I don't believe it would be noticed.
But they tell me these whoppers are rather scarce around these
sections--there may not be another inside of five miles."

"Glory! I should hope not," said the still trembling Perk, "but I just
can't forget we've got even one here to bother us. If only I dared use
my gun, I'd soon knock spots out o' him, bet you a cookey, Jack."

"Nothing doing, so forget that, partner. On the way back, if he's still
holding the fort, we might get a couple of long, stout poles, and try to
knock him on the head if it can be done with little confusion--he won't
make any noise outside of whirling his rattlebox and we could keep our
lips buttoned tight. Yes, that would be the best way to fix things, I
reckon."

Really Jack was saying this so as to comfort his mate; he realized that
Perk had received a severe shock at sight of the diamondback crawler and
it might affect his desire to do any prowling around after nightfall
which would throw the entire burden of so doing on his, Jack's
shoulders. Besides, there was a fair chance that the snake would have
withdrawn from his self-imposed task of guardian of the swamp trail and
taken himself off to other pastures.

They resumed their forward progress, with Perk keeping a watchful eye
out for other lurking perils--how were they to know but that an ang