Chris eagerly.

"Yes, unless you like to, squire."

"I will," cried Chris.

"I don't want you to run any risks, my boy," said the doctor. "Do you
think you can do it without danger?"

"Oh yes, father," said the lad, drawing his own perfectly new knife.
"See how slowly the thing keeps on lifting up its head, to hold it
quivering in the air before letting it fall down again on the rock."

"But if it saw you go near it might strike at you."

"I don't think so, father. Look, it must be blind. It has battered its
head horribly against the stone. I think it's quite blind."

"So it is, sir," said Griggs. "There's no more danger there, sir. Let
him do it. We want him to be cool and ready for anything now."

"May I do it, father?"

"Well, yes; but stand well at arm's length, and give a good, careful,
sweeping draw-cut with your knife."

Chris eagerly handed his rein to his father, and then went cautiously
towards the quivering reptile, which kept on rising up and falling down
inert with a regular action, save that it grew more slow.

Chris drew near till he was almost within striking distance, and waited
till the snake had risen to its greatest height, that is to say, about
two feet above the stone and three feet in all from the sand on which
the boy stood.

"Take care," said the doctor.

Chris made an offer, as boys call it, cutting horizontally from his left
shoulder, the knife flashing in the sunshine as it _whished_ through the
air, passing inches from the snake's neck; but the motion of the air
affected the reptile, which winced, dropped flat to the stone, and began
to writhe frantically.

"Be careful, Chris; there's a great deal of life in it yet."

"That was only a try, father," replied the boy; "I didn't try to cut it.
I will, though, now," he continued, as the writhing ceased; but the
battered head began to rise again slowly and steadily in the air till it
was at its greatest elevation, and seemed to be kept up by a stiffening
of the whole body.

Meanwhile, watching it carefully, the boy had advanced his foot a few
inches till he felt that he was in exact striking distance, when there
was another bright flash of rays reflected from the glistening blade, as
the cut was made and the snake dropped down again upon the stone, for
the writhings to recommence.

"Missed him?" cried Griggs excitedly.

"No; I just touched him with the point," said Chris coolly. "I wasn't
quite near enough."

Proof