Bright and early the next day, they hitched up the team, packed the saws and axes, and took off for the woods. What they didn't know is that a little farther down the trail was a stinging snake all coiled up waiting for them. That snake knew he couldn't get Grandpa or Jessie because they were too high up in the wagon, but he could sting one of the mules. At just the right time when the team was in range, that snake pointed his stinger at the closest mule and struck. But his aim was off, and instead of hitting the mule, he hit the wagon tongue.
Stinging snakes have a lot of trouble hitting the target.
That's because the stinger is going one way, and the eyes are looking the other way. Well, sir, those mules reared up something awful, and it took the longest time to settle them down. In all the confusion, the snake slithered away. But that snake must have put a bunch of poison in the wagon tongue because it started swelling and swelling, and kept on swelling. Grandpa, Jessie and the mules just watched, mouths open, not believing what they were seeing.