, and soon twisted out of all its fastenings
except the one about its neck. Catching hold of the mango-tree with its
tail, it pulled until its eyes bulged from the sockets, but the ratan
held. Releasing its hold on the tree, it flopped about the campong,
pulling and straining at the cable.

Finally it lay perfectly still, its dull, lidless eyes rolling
upward. Without any warning, its lithe tail shot outward, swept the
crowd of bystanders, and those fatal, living rings closed around Sicto,
compressing the unfortunate boy with such force that he gasped for
breath. Without a thought for the helpless boy, the women dropped
the torches and fled screaming through the night, leaving the campong
in darkness.

Only Piang came to the none too popular mestizo's assistance. He hurled
himself at the reptile's head, campilan raised to strike, but instead
of falling upon the mark, his knife severed the one remaining cable
and set the monster free. Perceiving its new antagonist, and feeling
its freedom, the snake rapidly unwound its tail from Sicto, who fell to
the ground with a dull thud. Darting forward with lightening rapidity,
it caught Piang in its circular embrace, and, coiling its tail around
the tree, flattened the boy against it, as if in a mill. Tighter,
closer hugged those massive, chilling rings, but Piang fought bravely.

"A light! a light!" screamed Tooloowee, as he dragged the insensible
Sicto away, and, out of a nearby hut dashed a slender, graceful figure
in response to the call, a fresh torch streaming its smoke and sparks
around her head.

"Quick, Papita," urged Tooloowee, and the girl came fearlessly to
the aid of Piang.

"Piang!" she wailed. "Why didn't you let it have Sicto!" Her
voice seemed to put new life into the suffocating boy. With one
supreme effort Piang managed to loosen his arm and struck once,
twice. The python, now bleeding profusely, hissed and writhed, still
tightening around the boy. Once again Piang thrust, at last reaching
the creature's heart. The rings loosened, relaxed, and Tooloowee's
well-aimed blow severed the awful head, which bounced and rolled to
Papita's feet.

When they carried the limp, lacerated body of Piang to his hut,
there was lamenting and weeping in the barrio. Piang, their beloved
charm boy was dead. A mournful _tilick_ (death signal) was sounded
on the tom-toms, and the wail soon gathered volume until the jungle
and river seemed to take up the plaint.

Dead? Co