BATTLERS 135 



smoked reflectively at the fire. After a decent in- 

 terval had elapsed some one asked : 



"What happened then?" 



Bert looked his reproach at the questioner. 



' ' What happened then I Why no thin '. Of course, 

 as soon as the snake got a little bit away we up 

 an' kilt him. What I wuz tryin' to tell you was 

 about that there horse hair rope. Y' ought-a al- 

 ways carry one with you." 



None of us had a horse hair rope, nor did we 

 know how such an article could be secured. But for 

 some nights we took good care, when no one else was 

 looking, to examine our beds for possible intruders. 



After a little time our first nervousness wore off. 

 We became largely indifferent to rattlers as soon 

 as we realised that they were more afraid of us 

 than we were of them. The experience of run- 

 ning upon them became commonplace and not worthy 

 of remark unless, indeed, the circumstances held a 

 special thrill, as once when Frazer, climbing a cliff, 

 poked his head above a flat rock and looked into the 

 cold eyes of a giant rattler a foot from his face, 

 or when Bob Moak was struck twice on the boot by 

 a snake on which he had inadvertently trodden. 



It was August, the time that skins were shed, and 

 the half-blind reptiles struck more quickly and with 

 less provocation than at any other time of year; 

 but even so the danger of being wounded was neg- 

 ligible unless one actually stepped on a snake or 



