ncied that some huge beast was
rushing through the wood, so loud was the noise.

It was now time to turn back to the camp. My uncle was a little in
advance. He had just fired at a couple of birds, one of which he had
brought to the ground, when I saw him start back with an expression of
alarm which I had never before heard him utter. Merlin, who was near
me, stood still for a moment in an unusual way, poking his head out
somewhat like a pointer; and there I saw on the ground, not ten paces
from my uncle, a huge snake, with head erect, as if about to make a
spring. I well knew that it must be of a venomous character from the
exclamation that I heard. Merlin instinctively seemed to think the
same. I dreaded lest it should make its spring. In an instant it might
do so. I trembled lest I should miss it. I might run the risk also, in
firing, of hitting my uncle. I would gladly have rushed forward in his
defence. In another instant its envenomed fangs might be fixed in his
body. I levelled my fowling-piece, and took a steady aim. I fired! As
I did so, Merlin rushed forward with a bound. I thought I saw through
the smoke the snake in the air. My uncle had sprung on one side,
lifting his gun by the muzzle. "I am safe!" he shouted out. "Walter,
you did it well!"

The snake had sprung, but, wounded by the shot, had failed to reach its
object, and had been struck to the ground by the butt of the gun. I did
not suppose from what I had seen of my uncle that he could be so
agitated as he now was. He knew, he told me, the venomous nature of the
serpent, and that had it struck him, he should probably have been dead
in the course of a few minutes.

"You saved my life by your coolness, my boy," he said. "I believe this
serpent is rare in the island, for I have never seen one like it; and it
is far more dangerous than the larger python, of which there are many.
They can swallow a deer whole, but seldom attack human beings. They
would take our friend Merlin down in a gulp; but he probably has
sagacity enough to keep out of their way, so you need not be alarmed on
his account."

I begged that I might carry the serpent as a trophy to the camp. To do
so I coiled it round a stick, and secured it with a piece of thin ratan.
As I walked along, Merlin every now and then came up sniffing behind
me, and seemed very much inclined to have a bite at it. We saw several
more jungle cocks on our way. They were very like the c