308 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



" What is it 1 " repeated Eosa. 



" Perhaps an alligator or a bear," replied the Indian 

 girl. 



The noise continued, although less loud than be- 

 fore. " Canondah ! " exclaimed Eosa with visible 

 uneasiness, " you will not again hunt the great water- 

 snake 1 " 



Her words were in vain. With the swiftness of a 

 deer the Indian maiden sprang through the reeds, and 

 in a moment had disappeared. Eosa had no choice 

 but to follow. Whilst making her way through the 

 innumerable stems that barred her passage, she heard 

 a loud cry, but it was not Canondah's voice. A noise 

 like that of a heavy body falling into the water im- 

 mediately followed, accompanied by a short but vio- 

 lent splashing and beating in the mud, and then all 

 was again still. Breathless and terrified, Eosa forced 

 her way through the reeds, and at length reached the 

 river-bank, where she descried her companion stand- 

 ing among the cypresses and mangroves which grew 

 down into the water. 



" Canondah ! " she exclaimed, in a tone of bitter 

 reproach, as her friend pointed to an enormous alli- 

 gator that lay beating the mud with its tail in the 

 agonies of death. " Why do you do these things ? 

 Must Eosa lose her sister, because she foolishly wishes 

 to be a man and to fight the water-snake 1 " 



" See there ! " replied Canondah, pointing to a deep 

 wound in the neck of the alligator, and triumphantly 



