strange to him.

"I must mark this spot, so I can find the mine again," he thought.
"Uncle Barnaby may not know of this opening."

Close at hand was a tall tree, and upon this Allen cut his initials in
large letters. Then he walked to all the trees in the vicinity and cut
hands on them pointing to the first tree.

"Now, I reckon it's all right," he said to himself. "And the next best
thing is to strike out for home."

Climbing the tree, Allen took his bearings as well as he was able, and
then struck off as rapidly as his tired legs and sore feet would permit.

He had covered perhaps half a mile when he came to a steep decline. He
tried to proceed down this with care, but slipped and rolled with a
crash through the brush to the bottom.

It was a bad fall and hurt him not a little, but that was not the worst
of it.

The passage through the brush aroused half a score of snakes, some small
and others a yard and over in length, and now they came after him,
hissing angrily and several preparing to dart at him.

It was small wonder that Allen gave a yell. He knew the reptiles were,
many of them, poisonous, and he had not the first thing with which to
defend himself. He leaped back to retreat, but only to find himself
surrounded.

No one who has never been surrounded by snakes can realize the terrible
feeling which awakens in one's breast at such an experience. It is a
feeling that, once realized, is never forgotten. Allen said afterward
he felt as if his hair had lifted from his head and his heart had had a
bath in ice water.

"Great Scott!" were the words which escaped from his lips. "This is the
worst yet!"

He had no time to say more, for at that moment one of the snakes leaped
through the air directly for his hand. He threw his hand up, caught the
reptile by the tail and flung it, hissing, among its fellows.

Then he essayed to leap over those in front of him. But before he could
do so one wound itself around the instep of his boot. It was a poisonous
snake. Allen saw that at a glance. He tried to kick it off, but missed
it.

Then out darted the terrible fang and up came that ugly head, with
diamond-like eyes, toward the young man's knee!

For one brief second Allen fancied his last hour on earth had come. A
single bite from that snake and all would be over, for it would be all
out of the question to get rid of the poison.

But with a strength and courage born of despair he bent down, and,
reaching out,