his!"

We had both reloaded now, and then, without heeding a shout from Ebo, we
stood looking in the direction taken by the reptile, though now all the
luxuriant canes and grasses were quite still.

"What do you say, Nat?" said my uncle. "Shall we follow the monster and
try and shoot it?"

"It must be forty or fifty feet long, uncle," I said, feeling a curious
creeping sensation run through me.

"Forty or fifty nonsenses, my boy!" he said, laughing. "Such serpents
as that only exist in books. They rarely exceed twenty feet where they
are largest. That fellow would not be fifteen. What do you say--will
you come?"

"Ye-es, uncle," I said hesitatingly, feeling hot and cold by turns.

"Why, Nat," he said quietly, "you are afraid!" I did not speak for a
moment or two, but felt the hot blood flush into my face as I stood
there looking him full in the eyes, and unable to withdraw my gaze.

"Yes, uncle," I said at last. "I did not want to be, but a serpent is
such a horrible thing, and I am afraid."

"Yes, it is a horrible monster, Nat," he said quietly. "I don't like
them myself, but if we could kill it--"

"I can't help feeling afraid, uncle," I said, "but I'm ready to go on
now."

"What! to attack it, Nat?"

"Yes, uncle."

"It will be rather dangerous, my boy."

"Yes, uncle," I said. "I suppose so; but I want to get over being so
afraid of things. I'm quite ready now."

I looked to him to come on at once, but he did not move, and stood
looking at me for some minutes without speaking.

"Then we will go and attack the brute, Nat," he said; "but it will not
go away from that bit of a swamp, so we will try and put a little more
nerve into our hearts with a good breakfast, and then have Ebo to help
us, unless he proves to be a worse coward than you."

"He could not be, uncle," I said pitifully; and I felt very, very
miserable.

"Oh! yes, he could be, Nat, my boy," said my uncle, smiling, and
grasping me affectionately by the arm. "You are a coward, Nat, but you
fought with your natural dread, mastered it, and are ready to go and
attack that beast. Master Ebo may be a coward and not fight with and
master his dread. So you see the difference, my boy."

Another shout from the black made us hasten our steps to where he was
dancing about and pointing to the crisp brown pigeons, big as chickens,
with great green leaves for plates, and the new ripe cocoa-nuts divested
of their husks; but for a few mo