102 
I STAND VERY STILL. 
patioiij I ccmnienced blazing away with my revolver, 
while the snake swung back and forth and watched me 
with a constant glare. My nerves had been so unstrung 
that I missed him every time. 
While I was still firing, the captain and the rest of 
the party came tearing through the jungle, some without 
their hats and covered with spider-webs, some with rent 
clothes and cocked guns, 
“ ‘Look out !' I cried; ‘mind that snake ; he’s bit Wil- 
liams, and looks ready for any one else.’ 
“‘Blow him away with your rifle,’ said Baber; ‘he’s 
swinging about too much for the pistol.’ The rest of 
the party gathered around the wounded man. 
“ I advanced, and, putting the muzzle within a foot of 
his head, pulled the triggei'. The smoke hung about the 
thick brushwood for a while and finally passed oft‘. There 
was no snake to be seen. 
‘“limit for him, boys,’ said the captain; ‘I \vant a 
piece of him to put on Williams’s hand.’ 
“We began peering cautiously into the bushes, moving 
them aside with our guns and gradually passing in 
among them. We no longer feared an enemy whom 
w’e believed blown in half at least, but thought his mate 
might be on some other bush. Suddenly one of the men 
discovered him. ‘Stand still, Mr. Habersham !’ he ex- 
claimed ; ‘ he’s got his eyes on you' 
“ I immediately acted upon the caution ; I don’t 
think I ever stood so still before. The speaker lifted his 
cutlass and brought him to the ground with a broken 
back. I had simply jarred him to another branch with 
my rifle, and the cutlass that had at last brought him 
