scare him with my voice, but all sound died away in my throat.
My heart seemed to stop beating; my utterance to be choked. Everything
seemed to be moving with the same angry springing motion of the snake.
Nothing stopped our flight; heedless of every impediment we bounded over
stones, bushes, gulleys, rocks; but each glance showed him advancing. We
now came to an open smooth platform of turf, from whence I knew there
was a precipitous fall of twenty feet, unless we hit upon the right spot
to descend. "We must throw ourselves down," I whispered. "Anywhere with
you," she answered, "but, oh horrible fate, was that another monster
just before us or the same?" No, there was but one, he was before us,
round us, everywhere; and he knew he had us safe, for his eyes grew
larger and more glowing as he bounded and leaped on every side of us,
each bound and each leap bringing him nearer. Was there no escape? Yes,
almost before I saw it myself the monster's quick eye has discerned two
horns rising with the sloping ground, and with one bound which threw us
both down, he darted forward. A rushing deadly wind seemed to blow over
us, and, ere it was past, the crashing bones, and dying bellow of the
cow gave us warning of the horrible fate from which she had saved us.

We helped each other to rise, and scrambling down the rock, we never
stopped or spoke until we sunk breathless by the tents, where the little
girls had only just arrived. But it was many minutes ere we could tell
the frightful scene going on above. We clung together and all drew
within the tent, while Smart went to summon the captain. The poisonous
breath of the monstrous creature made Serena and myself the victims of
successive fainting fits, we had the greatest difficulty in swallowing
anything, and only revived under the influence of strong salts, and
constant fanning. Our features assumed the paleness of death, and a cold
dew rolled in large drops from our foreheads. The moment we raised our
heads dreadful sickness overcame us, and when the captain and his men
arrived, we were totally unable to give any particulars beyond the
creature being monstrous and the cow destroyed. The captain desired
every one to keep as quiet as possible, and directed the sides of the
tent to be raised to give us air and our faces and heads to be sponged
with cold vinegar and water. He entreated no one to be alarmed as the
serpent would not leave his prey, and might be a day or two swallowing