ggs.

"Hist! Don't make a sound. Look," whispered Chris.

"Why, what's the matter?" said Griggs, lowering his voice, for the boy's
manner impressed him, he looked so blank and strange.

"Look! Can't you see?"

"No, not from where I am," was the reply.

"Oh, it's horrid," whispered Chris; "dreadful! The kegs are lying on a
nest of snakes, and they're rising and falling and playing about them
like flames round logs of wood."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

A FIGHT WITH THE ENEMY.

Griggs uttered one low whistle as he slipped his arm through the rein so
as to leave his hands at liberty, one to press back his cowboy's hat,
the other to sweep the gathering drops of perspiration from his brow.
"I never could abear snakes," he said huskily. Then after a pause he
drew a long, deep breath, to say with an attempt--a very sorry attempt--
at cheerfulness--"Well, we've found the kegs, anyhow."

"Yes," said Chris bitterly, "and where the snakes are."

"Bless 'em, yes!" said Griggs, looking in the direction of the horrible
reptiles. "Well, we don't want them."

"But we want the water."

"Of course."

"What's to be done, Griggs?"

"I can't think o' nothing but say _Sh_! to 'em to frighten them away."

"Oh, don't do that," cried Chris, in alarm. "It might make them attack
us."

"It might," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Well, I'm about beat. I've got
a tidy bit of pluck in me when I'm stirred up--as much as most men
have--but I can't stand rattlers. The idea of getting bitten sends a
cold chill all down my back. I'd a deal sooner be hugged by a grizzly.
Poison snakes and mad dogs make a regular coward of me."

"They would of anybody," said Chris. "But I say, what is to be done?"

"Sit down and wait, my lad. I s'pose snakes have some sense in 'em,
same as other critters. They're bound to find out before long that they
can't break the iron hoops nor bore through the staves to get at the
water; and when they're tired perhaps they'll give up and go home."

"But we can't wait. Father will be coming soon to see why we're so
long."

"Well, he'll be able to see without our telling him."

"But can't we do something to drive them away?"

"I know what I should do if we were in some places," said Griggs.

"Yes! What?"

"Light a big fire of brushwood and green-stuff that would make a
stifling smoke just to wind'ard of them. That would soon scare them
off."

"But there's not a handful of stuff that would burn," c