SNAKE AND FROG PRATTLE 235 



his heel was gripped he did not jump or off nd the air 

 with unmanly plaint and ineffectual clamour, or other- 

 wise fluster his heart with pernicious apprehension. 

 With calm deliberation he put his hand into his pocket 

 and drew forth — no ! not a razor-edged knife, with 

 which to slash the region of the punctures, but a box of 

 matches, so that the scene might temporarily be 

 surveyed. He saw, not the expected death adder, 

 not a deadly copper head, not the venomous black 

 which flattens and distends the neck like a cobra when 

 its passions are roused, not the great red pugnacious 

 beast which has been known to kill off-hand a big 

 horse, but a shame-faced carpet snake, which, though 

 innocent and inoffensive, will, like the worm, turn if 

 rudely trodden on. The snake was quite ready to 

 apologise for impulsive and graceless misbehaviour; 

 but it seemed fascinated by the sudden light — how little 

 of brightness bewilders such lovers of darkness — and 

 maintained its repentant attitude until the sacred law 

 was finally vindicated by the fatal bruising of its head. 

 Many years ago a locality a few miles away suffered 

 from a raid by bush rats, which congregated in great 

 numbers. Similar plagues have often been recorded 

 from the western downs; but the coastal visitation was 

 singular, for it was associated with death adders, which 

 seemed to be on good terms with the rats. One of 

 the settlers was growing sweet-potatoes on a fairly large 

 scale for pig food, the plough being used for the harvest- 

 ing of the crop. Seldom was a furrow run for the full 

 length of the field without turning up both adders and 

 rats. Suddenly the rats migrated, and then the death 

 adders disappeared, few of either being seen for a decade, 

 when the association between them was again sensa- 

 tionally illustrated. The daughter of a settler rose 

 at dawn, and with others ran off to the vegetable garden 



