g," cried Ned indignantly.

"Where is it, then? It's clear enough to see now."

"Gone down into a hole, perhaps."

"Or crawled down its own throat perhaps."

"I know," said Chris merrily; "Ned never misses anything. The poor
brute has swallowed its own tail, formed itself into a ring, and bowled
out like a hoop."

"Of course," cried Ned, raising his piece to his shoulder, as the light
now penetrated well into one of the opposite corners, and without a word
of warning he fired again.

"What did you do that for?" cried Chris excitedly.

"To put that reptile out of its misery," said Ned.

"To fill the place with smoke again," cried Chris indignantly. "It's
all fancy."

"Precious noisy fancy," said Griggs dryly. "My word, he must be a
thumper! Talk about smoke, he is kicking up a dust."

Chris was silent as he stood listening to the struggles of what was
evidently a large serpent, while it writhed violently below them,
beating about and lashing the pile of remains that had crumbled down
from the cell, and sending up quite a cloud to mingle with that of
vapour which rose, smelling pungently of hydrogen, towards the
overhanging blocks of stone roofing in the square pit.

"I guess I'm quite satisfied now that I didn't go down," said Griggs
coolly; "but there don't seem to be more'n one, or we should hear them
travelling about."

"This one makes noise enough for a dozen," said Chris.--"I say, Ned, I
beg pardon. You don't want me to go on my knees, do you?"

"No," replied the boy calmly, as he made the breech of his double gun
snap to very loudly; "only I wouldn't be quite so cocksure that you know
everything, next time."

"Thy servant humbles himself to the dust," said Chris, in Eastern style.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," said Griggs dryly; "certainly not
till that gentleman below has done kicking it up. Say, how big should
you say this one is?"

"Oh, I don't know. It sounds as if it might be twenty feet long."

"Yes; but if it is as long as that it wouldn't be a rattler."

"No; only a thumper," cried Ned, laughing. "Hark, it's quieting down
now. Shall I give it another dose as soon as it is still?"

"No; save all the ammunition you can, my lad. It has had enough to
finish it off. How strange it is that anything long should take such a
time to die."

They stood there patiently listening to the movements below, the lashing
about gradually ceasing, to give place to a gliding, rustling