the vision of the appalled lad was
dazzled and bewildered. The terrific shocks coming simultaneously with
the lightning, proved that the thunderbolts were falling all around him,
and again and again he thanked that Providence which had dissuaded him
from taking refuge in some of the trees.

_Crash!_

Directly in front of him, an immense giant of the forest was smitten
from top to base, the limbs, leaves, and splinters hurled in every
direction, as if a thousand pounds of powder had been exploded within.
The air was so surcharged with electricity that Ned felt the effect. A
prickling sensation down one entire side of his body was followed by a
partial numbness and paralysis that alarmed him. With his other hand he
hastily rubbed his limbs, and turned and twisted, fearing that he was
becoming helpless.

In a few minutes he regained the strength which had temporarily
departed, and then noticed that the storm was subsiding as rapidly as it
had arisen. The thunder died out in sullen mutterings; the lightning
flashed fitfully, often without any perceptible report following, and
the deluge diminished to a few drops.

"The storm is over, thank heaven!" he exclaimed. "As I have such a good
bed, I may as well stay here till morning."

But at this instant his blood almost froze at the sudden discovery of a
new and deadly peril.

CHAPTER XVI.

AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.

Young Chadmund heard the unmistakable warning of a rattlesnake that was
somewhere near him, and on the very point of striking. Precisely where
it was, it was impossible to determine with any certainty; but there was
no time to consider the matter. It seemed to him in that brief second he
devoted to thought that the venomous reptile lay a little to the left,
and he scrambled out of his place with all the celerity at his command.

The wonderful quickness of this usually sluggish snake, when about to
deal its deadly blow is well known, and, had the boy moved with twice
the rapidity that he did, Ned could not have escaped that lightning-like
dart of the snake, which was aimed straight at his foot, that being the
part of the body which was nearest his coil. The fangs struck the side
of his shoe, which happened to move at the very instant the blow was
made, and, piercing the leather, held the reptile fast,--"Hoist by his
own petard," as it were,--so that, when Ned scrambled out from his
shelter, he felt the horrid thing dangling at his heels.

With presenc