ped
to a clump of young fir-trees, selecting a sapling about a dozen feet
high and cutting it off close to the ground.

This done, he proceeded quickly to lop off all the horizontal branches
close to the stem, clearing them quickly away all but the thick top,
where he left a tuft, and on finishing, had provided himself with a
rough lance whose green brush-like top furnished him with the weapon of
offence and defence with which he intended to protect his pony.

"What are you going to do?" asked Chris, who had been watching him
intently.

"You come next, and see," was the reply. "Now, gentlemen, I'll lead;
please follow in single file."

Griggs sent his pony forward at a walk towards the far end of the
amphitheatre, holding the fir-pole well-balanced and low-down in front,
while, rising in his stirrups, he bent forward, lancer-like, keeping his
eyes fixed upon the ground before him, over which he guided his mount.
In this way he advanced, still keeping at a walk, avoiding every
dangerous-looking spot, keeping to the open, and wherever there was the
possibility of a lurking enemy being at hand the tuft at the point of
the pole was lowered to the ground and used as a beater to drive out any
reptile that might be there.

At the commencement the mustang seemed disposed to start and shy, but a
few soothing words calmed it, and as if divining the object in view, it
stepped out finally, only uttering a snort or two when the green head of
the spear was rustled about, the snorts sounding as if given to help
scare any danger away.

"Don't seem to be any, Griggs," said Chris.

"Not yet, my lad," was the reply. "You see, I'm picking out the least
likely bits; but one never knows."

"There goes one," shouted Chris the next moment, and he raised his piece
to his shoulder.

"Don't fire; he's got well into cover," cried Griggs. "It was a snake,
but I don't think it was a rattler, for he didn't talk with his tail."

"No; I didn't hear him rattle. Why did you tell me not to fire?"

"Because you wouldn't have hit the brute, only wasted a cartridge."

There had been no check, and they rode slowly on and on till the end of
the depression had been reached, Griggs's plan resulting in starting off
altogether five dangerous-looking serpents from the spots where they lay
ready to scuttle in amongst the growth at the first movement of the
extemporised weapon--the last of the fleeing reptiles proving its
dangerous nature as it hur