s when you and Larry were having your
jig-time with the old mossback 'gator?"

"Might hear me shout, but b'lieve it other boys," was the reply which
Tony made.

"I'm glad of that," Phil remarked, though he did not explain just why.

"And the more I think about it," Larry spoke up, "the greater I feel
that I had a mighty narrow escape. Just you catch me dropping
overboard again while we're around this region! Why, Phil, would you
believe it, while I was fishing above, didn't I see as many as five of
the nasty wigglers go swimming past. Ugh! they give me a cold creep."

"Now what do you mean by wigglers?" demanded his companion.

"Snakes, ugly brown and yellow fellers, with a nasty head, and a wicked
look about 'em that I don't like a bit," Larry answered, readily, and
shuddering as he spoke.

"Oh! you mean those everlasting water moccasins, do you?" Phil laughed.
"Well, they are ugly customers, I admit. And I've heard that their
bite is mighty nearly as bad as the rattlesnake's, down here. How
about that, Tony?"

"Not so bad, oh, no!" the swamp boy quickly replied. "Sometimes leave
sore, not soon heal up. But weuns have medicine tuh take when
cotton-mouth or moccasin hit in leg with fangs. We splash when we go
through water in swamp, and skeer away. No bother much 'bout moccasin.
But rattler more trouble. Two year I get bit, and McGee have much hard
time keepin' his Tony."

"I suppose he soaked you with whisky in the good old backwoods way; but
Tony, they've got beyond that these days. Doctors have a remedy that
will in most cases save the patient, unless he goes too long before
being treated."

Phil had himself read up on the subject; but he made no effort to
explain to his two friends. Larry would never remember a single thing
about it; and the swamp boy of course could not have understood the
meaning of much that such an explanation would entail.

All the same Phil was secretly pleased to hear his chum say so
decidedly that he did not mean to again allow himself to drop
overboard. It would be just like Larry to get bitten in the leg by one
of those malignant little snakes, that continually threw themselves
into attitudes of defiance on the surface of the dark water, as though
ready to give battle to the invaders of their preserves. And in such a
case all sorts of trouble might ensue; though Phil's physician father
had provided him with the proper remedy to be used under such
conditions.

T