Dead Man's Land Part 57

"Bah!" cried Mark. "You are afraid."

"That's right, sir; I am--'orrid. You tell Dan, sir. He'll go in with his sharp spade and cut him up in chunks and shovel them out a bit at a time. Snakes is nasty things to touch. Here, go on, messmate. Don't you hear as the young gents wants to see it?"

"You go on! They didn't ask me to do it," said the sailor; "and he arn't dead yet."

"Yah! What a fellow you are! Who's a-going to wait till it's dark and the thing's made up its mind to die? Go on in."

"There arn't room to get a good sight of it," said Dan. "Cut his head off, then. One good chop would do it."

"Not me! I know all about these things. They gets tight hold and twissens theirselves round till they have squeezed all the wind out of you. Here, I say, Mak; you understand these insecks; get hold of him and pull him out."

The black looked at him laughingly and went forward, spear in hand, but at that moment there was a rustling and crackling amongst the thick growth, and everyone but the doctor, who stood firm ready for another shot, began to retreat, but stopped as they realised the fact that the pigmy had stuck his spear upright through one of the bushes, and had seized hold of the serpent, to begin trying to haul it out.

There was a faint suggestion of writhing, a grunting e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n or two, and a few words as if of appeal or command, which had the effect of making Mak step forward to the pigmy's help, and together the blacks hauled the dying reptile to where the morning's work had been going on.

"Well, I am disappointed," cried Mark. "It's only a little one, after all."

"Little one!" said the doctor, as he bent over the stretched out prize.

"Why, it's a good twelve feet long! A python, evidently."

"And pretty thick," said Dean; "quite as thick round as my leg," and raising his foot he planted it upon the serpent near to its tail. "Oh!"

he shouted, as he started back, for at his touch the reptile drew itself up together almost in a knot, and then stretched itself out again, to the great delight of the two blacks.

"Well, I don't see anything to laugh at," said Dean, and he looked rather discomfited, while the doctor went on, "Beautifully marked. Not unlike the Australian carpet snake; but quite spoiled as a specimen."

"Not a nice thing to take home, doctor," said Mark.

"The skin would not have been very heavy," said the doctor, smiling.

"Well, no," said Mark. "I say, Dean, carpet snake! How many skins would it take to make one carpet?"

"Beg pardon, sir," said Dan; "think these 'ere have got any stings in their tails?"

"No. Why?"

"Because he managed to catch me a flip across the lynes, and I've got a sort of fancy that it's beginning to p.r.i.c.kle, though I can't say as it warn't a thorn."

"Ha, ha!" laughed Mark.

"I don't think about it, my lad," said the doctor, "and you may just as well get rid of that popular fallacy."

"But some of them do sting, sir," said Buck, "because I did hear of a fellow being killed by one in a precious little time."

"Not by a sting, my man," said the doctor, "but by a bite from some small serpent that had poison fangs."

"Then don't no snakes have stings in their tails, sir?"

"No, my man; you must turn to insects or scorpions for dangers of that cla.s.s."

"Ho!" said Dan thoughtfully, as he stood looking down at the slowly heaving length at his feet. "Well, I never knowed that before. But if I had ha' knowed that this 'ere customer had got his nest in among them ol' stones just where I was digging I should have mutinied against orders and sent old Buck. Beg pardon, sir, but could you say if this 'ere was a c.o.c.k or a hen?"

"No, I couldn't," said the doctor, laughing. "Why do you ask?"

"I was only wondering, sir, whether him or she had a messmate down in the hole."

"You may take it for granted that if that serpent had a companion it has escaped by now."

"Well, that's a comfort, sir."

"Oh, I see," said the doctor, with a peculiar look at the boys; "you were thinking that we were wasting a good deal of time over this business instead of digging down."

"That I warn't, sir," said the sailor indignantly; and then catching the twinkle in the doctor's eye, he winked at him in return. "I wouldn't be so unfair towards my messmates, sir," he hastened to say. "There's Buck Denham been for ever so long wanting to handle the shovel, and I was just a-going to say it would rest me a bit to take a turn with the basket when my gentleman here said he was at home. Now, Buck, mate, let's get on."

"That's his way of poking fun, Mr Dean, sir," said Buck, turning to the boys. "Rum chap, ain't he? He's got a lot of comic in him sometimes.

He do make me laugh. No, Dan, mate, you stick to the spade; you don't have so far to stoop as I should, and I shouldn't like you to get a crick in your back by heaving up them loads, which are pretty lumpy sometimes; and I will say that for you:--you did always fill them for me, as much as they would hold."

"Well," said Sir James good-humouredly, "settle it between you, my lads, for the doctor is, I am sure, anxious to go on."

"Thank you, Sir James; I am. Still, this is an interesting episode, and one that I am sure the boys would not have liked to miss."

"That we shouldn't," they cried, in a breath. "But what's going to be done with the snake?" said Dean. "It won't be in the way."

"No," said Mark, "and I suppose it isn't likely to come to life again; but it won't do to have it lying there in the sun."

"No," echoed Dean, with a look of disgust; "it smells bad enough even now."

"Look here," said Mark, "we will get rid of it at once. Take it away, Mak;" and partly by signs he explained his wishes.

The black smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and spoke to his little companion, who turned an enquiring look upon Mark, who nodded at once as if to say, Yes, I wish it.

A word or two pa.s.sed between the two, and Mak turned to Dan, signing to him that he wanted him to come with him.

"What does he want, Dan?" cried Dean. "Knife, sir. All right, messmate; I'll come." The pigmy had started off, dodging in and out amongst the thick bushes, and stopped directly after by a long stout cane, which he caught hold of and dragged out straight, signing to the little sailor to use his knife.

"Cut it off down there, little 'un?--There you are, then. Now trim off all them leaves?--Will that do for you? Want to tie it up in a bundle, do you? 'Cause if you do I wish you joy of it. Better let it twist itself up into a knot."

But Dan had misunderstood the pigmy's wishes, for as soon as the long cane was clear he caught it up, turned back with Mak to where the serpent lay, and waited while the big black pierced a hole in the serpent's neck. The cane was pa.s.sed through, and then each taking hold of one end, they dragged the reptile over the ground out of the opening of the kraal, and then onward to where the kopje ended in a little precipice by which the bright stream of the river glided fast. Here they stood swinging it backwards and forwards a few times, let go together, and the nearly dead serpent fell into the water with a splash and was swept away.

"That's an end of him, then, Dean," said Mark. "Come on; let's get back. I want to find something before we give up for to-day;" and hurrying on, leaving the two blacks to follow at their leisure, and, as it struck the boys, rather unwillingly, the excavation was reached.

"Come along," said the doctor. "I have been waiting for you before I began, for I did not want you to miss whatever we find next. Now, Denham."

Buck seized the spade, leaped into the hole, and began to ply the tool energetically, while the two keepers used the baskets, and Dan danced about, as active as a cat, seizing the stones that were thrown out; and in this way the hole was deepened.

"You don't seem to find anything," said Sir James.

"We haven't got to the bottom yet," replied the doctor.

"Perhaps there is no bottom," said Mark, laughing.