snake for boss. Boss boys very kind to Coffee, and father love 'em."

This was a long speech for Chicory, who nodded and smiled, and ended by
waiting his opportunity, and then seizing the boa's tail and running
away with it to stretch the creature out. But it was too heavy, and its
writhings continued even after the boys had fired a charge of small shot
at close quarters through the reptile's head.

They wanted to measure it, but that was impossible from its writhings.
Mr Rogers, however, made an approximate calculation, and then said,
quietly,--

"I should say it was as near as can be nineteen feet long, and unusually
large in girth."

"Oh, father," cried Jack; "it must be thirty-nine feet long."

"Ah, Jack, my boy," replied his father, laughing, "that's old
travellers' measurement--and they always allowed six feet to the yard--
that is, twenty-four inches to the foot; and that's why ourang-outangs,
and whales, and serpents were always so large."

But they had not yet arrived at the end of their reptile adventures.

They waited for some time to see if the boa would cease its writhings;
but the muscular contractions still continuing, and the dark
tortoiseshell-like markings of brown and yellow and black glistening in
the sun quite two hours after the creature might reasonably have been
said to be killed, they gave it up and went further afield.

"Suppose we leave this series of red-hot rocks, boys, and go down
towards the water. From the appearance of the country over yonder I
fancy that the stream widens out into a lake."

"How do you know, father?" asked Dick.

"From the character of the trees and other growth. Don't you see how
much more leafy and luxuriant it looks. Keep your eyes well opened and
your pieces ready. I dare say we may meet with a rare bird or two,
perhaps some kind of water-buck--ready for the camp to-morrow!"

As Mr Rogers had predicted, a couple of miles walking brought them to
what in parts was quite a marsh full of canes and reeds; but every here
and there were beautiful pools of breeze-rippled water, spread with
lovely lilies and other water-plants, while the edges were fringed with
willow-like wands and waving sedges.

So beautiful was the scene where the little river widened, and wound
through the low ground, that as they wandered about amongst the firmer
ground they forbore to shoot, but paused from time to time to watch the
lovely plumage of the various ducks and cranes tha