THE WHIZZ OF A BOOMERANG. 



with rage, and it plainly wished and expected them to come closer. Mr. Godkim 

 feinted to do so. Instantly its head rose several inches, and was drawn back, just 

 as a man does when about to deliver a blow. 



" No ; I thank you," laughed the white man, recoiling ; " I don't mean to give 

 you a chance to knock me out in that fashion." 



The failure of the parties to advance seemed to convince the serpent that they 

 were afraid of it, and it now endeavored to coax them into coming closer. Uncoil- 

 ing, it crawled slowly in the jungle, its head i.iised but a few inches, and its whole 

 manner that of alarm, as if fearful of being pursued. 



And yet nothing was clearer than that it was seeking to draw the hunters after it. 



Pongo now took a step in advance. 

 Instantly the reptile stopped, but it 

 did not resume its coil, afraid that if 

 it did so, the man would be fright- 

 ened into retreating again. But 

 another pace forward and the snake 

 would have gone into coil like a 

 flash. 



The Bushman took that step, 

 bringing himself fearfully close to 

 the little demon, which looped itself 

 like Jack Harvey's lasso, the head 

 instantlyrising fullyeighteen inches, 

 and thrown far back, until it almost 

 touched the ground on the farther 

 side of the native. 



What a lightning-like blow he 

 could deliver from that position ! 



" Look out ! he's going to strike ! 

 You're too near ! " called the a- 

 larmed Mr. Godkin. 



But the action of the reptile was 

 no quicker than that of the Bush- 

 man, who let fly with his boomerang, clipping off the head of the serpent with such 

 precision that it followed the implement for a dozen feet, dropping in the bushes, 

 just before the boomerang struck a tree, a few feet beyond. 



The body whipped and threshed the ground for a few minutes, and then became 

 still. 



" Oogh ! " muttered Pongo, with an expression of disgust, as he came back, after 

 recovering his favorite weapon ; " me don't like kill snakes with him don't want 

 to get him blood on it." . 



" I intended to practice a little with my revolver, but xm took the spc*t out of 

 my hands." 



"LOOK OUT! HE'S GOING TO STRUCK!" 



