he had made in the stock, as he stared down at the
object that was now dying fast. "Well, it's of no good now. You've
reg'larly spoiled it."

"Do you know what that is?" I said, with my heart beating fast.

"Course I do," he said with a laugh. "Snake."

"Yes, the most deadly snake out here. If I had waited till you touched
it you would have been stung; and that generally means death."

"My word!" said Pete, shrinking away. "Think of it, sir! Shouldn't
have liked that, Master Nat. What snake is it?"

"A rattlesnake."

"I didn't hear him rattle. But I was just going to lay hold of him
behind his ears and pick him up."

"And yet uncle told you to beware of poisonous snakes."

"Ah! so he did, sir; but I wasn't thinking about what he said then. So
that's his rattle at the end of his tail, with a sting in it."

"Nonsense!" I cried. "Rattlesnakes do not sting."

"Hark at him!" cried Pete, addressing nobody. Then to me--

"Why, you said just now they did."

"I meant bite."

"But wapses have their stings in their tails."

"But rattlesnakes do not," I said. "Look here."

I drew the hunting knife I carried, and with one chop took off the
dangerous reptile's head. Then picking it up I opened the jaws and
showed him the two keen, hollow, poisonous fangs which rose erect when
the jaws gaped.

"Seem too little to do any harm, Master Nat," said Pete, rubbing his
head. "Well, I shall know one of them gentlemen another time.--Oh,
don't chuck it away!" he cried. "I should like to put that head in a
box and save it."

"Too late, Pete," I said, for I had just sent the head flying into the
rippling stream; and after reloading we went on again till it seemed as
if we were quite shut in.

For right in front was a towering rock, quite perpendicular above a low
archway, at whose foot the stream rushed gurgling out, while the sides
of the narrow ravine in which we were rose up like a wall.

"We shall have to go back, Pete, I suppose," I said, as I looked upon
either side.

"I wouldn't, sir," he replied; "it's early yet."

"But we couldn't climb up there."

"Oh, yes, we could, sir, if we took it a bit at a time."

Pete was right. I had looked at the task all at once, but by taking it
a bit at a time we slowly climbed up and up till we reached to where
there was a gentle slope dotted with patches of woodland, and looking
more beautiful than the part we had travelled over that day.

It was just as we