ts tail hung swinging to and fro, while the front portion
curved and undulated, and searched about for a place to rest till it
found one upon the boy's arm, up which it began to glide as if the
warmth were pleasant, ending by nestling its head in the hollow of the
elbow-joint.

Meanwhile there was another rustling and movement of the moss, but
nothing showed for a time.

Dexter smoothed and stroked the snake, which seemed to be perfectly
content when it was moved, but soon after began to insinuate its blunt
rounded head here and there, as if in search of something, till its
owner bore it to a large pickle-jar standing upon a beam nearly level
with the floor, and upon his placing the reptile's head on a level with
the mouth, it glided in at once, inch by inch, over the side, and
through Dexter's hands, till it disappeared, the finely-graduated tail
passing over the edge, and it was gone, the jar being its larder, in
which were stored, ready for consumption, half a dozen of Dan'l's
greatest enemies--the slugs.

As Dexter turned to the heap of moss once more, at which one of the
rabbits was sniffing, there was another heaving movement, followed by a
sharp rap on the boards, the alarm signal of the rabbit which bounded
away, while a blunt, broad head and two glistening eyes slowly appeared;
then what looked like a short sturdy arm with outstretched fingers
pressed down the moss, then another arm began to work, and by slow
degrees a huge toad, which seemed to be as broad as it was long,
extricated itself from the soft vegetable fibre, and crept away on to
the boards, all in the most deliberate manner, as if it was too fat to
move fast.

"Hallo, Sam!" said Dexter, laughing. "Why, you've been asleep for a
month."

The toad seemed to be looking up at him in an unblinking fashion, but
did not move, and Dexter stooped down to touch it, but the moment his
hand approached, the reptile rose on its legs, arched its back, lowered
its head, swelled itself up, and uttered a low, hissing sound.

Dexter waited for a moment, and then softly began to scratch its side,
the result evidently being so satisfactory to the toad that it began by
leaning over toward the rubbing fingers, and then more and more, as if
the sensation were agreeable in the extreme.

A little coaxing then induced it to crawl slowly into its master's hand,
which it more than filled, sitting there perfectly contented till it was
placed in another pickle-jar to fe