the next instant the boys found themselves confronted by a swamp
snake all of six feet long and as thick as a man's wrist!

"Mine cracious!" burst from Hans' lips. "It vos a snake annahow! Look
out! he vill eat us up alife!"

"We must get out of here!" cried Sam. "Oh, Tom, why didn't you leave
it alone?"

"I didn't really think it was a snake," answered the fun-loving Rover.
"Somebody shoot it!"

Queer as it was, nobody had thought to use his pistol, but as Tom
spoke Dick pointed his weapon at the snake, that was crawling rapidly
over the tree roots towards them. The puff of smoke was followed by
a writhing of the reptile, and they saw that it had been hit although
not fatally wounded.

"Wait, I'll give him another shot!" cried Sam, who now had his pistol
out, and as the head of the snake came up over a tree root, the
youngest Rover fired point-blank. His aim was true, and the head of
the snake went down, and the body whirled this way and that in its
death agonies.

"Is he--he dead?" faltered Tom.

"Next door to it," answered Harold Bird. "That last shot took him
directly in the throat. I do not think he will bother us any more."

They saw the body of the snake sink down in the water beneath the
upper roots of the tree, and then continued to retreat, making their
way to what looked like safer ground. They were now completely turned
around, with only the sun to guide them in their course.

"This is no joke," said Dick, gazing around in perplexity. "If we
are not careful we'll become hopelessly lost."

"I think somebody had better climb a tree and look around," said Tom.
"I'll go up if somebody will boost me."

The others were willing, and soon the fun-loving youth was climbing
a tall tree which stood somewhat apart from the others. He went up
in rapid fashion and before long was close to the top.

"Can you see anything?" called up Sam, after what seemed to be a long
pause.

"Hello!" cried Tom. "Why, there is the small lake and, yes, the launch
is moving from the shore."

"The launch?" ejaculated Harold Bird. "Do you mean my gasoline launch?"

"It must be yours--or some craft very much like it," answered Tom.
"There, it is out of sight now behind the trees."

Tom waited for fully a minute, but the launch did not reappear.

"Who was on board?" questioned Dick, as his brother came down.

"I couldn't make out."

"Which is the way to the spot where we tied up?" asked the young
Southerner, impatiently.