mad enough to chew up the hunter. But before he had time to discharge his
piece at the monster, for he looked as though he was six feet long, Felix
heard a rustling in the bushes at his left, and a moment later a
disturbance on his right.

[Illustration: "He saw a huge cobra directly in front of him."--Page 242.]

He looked in the direction of the noises, and saw two more cobras lifting
their vicious heads into the air. These were more than he had bargained
for; and, believing that discretion was the better part of valor, he
climbed a tree in which he saw a convenient resting-place. Between him and
the three snakes there was a small pool of water, half concealed by the
bushes, and the reptiles had probably come there to drink or to obtain for
food some of the amphibious creatures that lived there.

The enthusiastic sportsman had hardly begun to climb the tree before he
heard a hissing behind him, and discovered another cobra. Two of the four
in sight were much smaller than the other two, and he could easily believe
he had come upon a family of them. He got a position in the tree, and lost
no time in attacking the enemy. He was a good shot, for he and Louis had
both been thoroughly trained in a shooting-gallery in New York. He gave his
attention to the one nearest to him, and wondered he had not trodden upon
him as he came to the spot.

As this one stood up Felix could see the top of his head, and he decided to
use his revolver first. He fired; and, as the reptile was not ten feet from
him, so skilful a marksman could hardly help hitting him. He did hit him,
and the ball passed through his head. He wriggled a moment, and then
stretched himself out at full length, dead.

One of the larger ones was within twenty-five feet of him, and he used his
repeating rifle this time. He slipped a little in his perch as he
discharged the piece, and the ball went through the snake's body, which was
furiously mad, hissed and shook himself. He held still a moment, and then
Felix fired again. The ball seemed to tear his head all to pieces, and he
dropped down out of sight. He had to fire several times to kill the other
two; for, as he expressed it, they "would not hold still."

But he had killed the four, and felt just as though he had settled the
snake question. Most of the natives, who are oftener the victims of the
cobra than the white people, go about in the dark with naked feet, and it
is not strange that they are bitten. He desc