cried Fred, suddenly starting
forward, and picking up a bowie knife, which one of the men had dropped
in his terror.

The poor fellow sought to obey, but his fright was too great; and as the
adder curled its tail over his arm, without relinquishing its hold, he
endeavored to shake it off, and succeeded so far as the tail was
concerned, but the jaws were too firmly clinched to be made to let go so
easily.

Fred's eye was quick, and his hand steady, and as the snake hung full
length, pendent from the finger, he struck at it with the knife and
severed it in two parts. The tail fell to the ground and wound itself
into knots, but the jaws did not relinquish their hold until the last
drop of blood had drained from the trunk, when, with an expiring gasp,
the teeth were unlocked, and the robber's finger was free.

Stout-hearted as the fellow undoubtedly was, he no sooner saw that the
reptile was dead than he fell to the ground in a fit. Foam issued from
his mouth, and by the light of the fire I saw that the poison was
already performing its work, and that it was mixing with his blood and
coursing through his veins with the speed of thought. His face grew
black and commenced swelling rapidly, and all the medical science in the
world would have been unable to give him an hour's life.

"Can you do any thing for him?" asked the chief, turning to us.

We replied in the negative.

"Then let him die where he is, and one of you take a torch and find the
money. Be careful; there may be more snakes in the grass."

The men obeyed the heartless speech, and forsook the writhing wretch to
look for the gold.

"There is nothing here!" they cried, in chorus.

"I put the bag there but a moment ago," I replied.

"You lie!" roared the chief; "you are deceiving us, and think to escape
with life, and pocket your stealing. I tell you, if the money is not
forthcoming, I'll hang you like dogs. Tie them up and lash them to a
tree; I will give them a short time to think the matter over."

The robbers threw themselves upon us and bound our arms, in spite of
resistance, and with an expedition that proved they were experts in the
matter; we were then fastened to trees, and taunted with our
instrumentality in destroying the gangs of Darnley and Gulpin.

Luckily, Fred and myself were fastened to the same tree, so that we
could condole with each other in our misfortunes. This was the hardest
situation in which we had ever been placed, and yet we