The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-07-03

the sun at some time during the
day. and the coming of the thread in
formed him that whole day had
passed since he made the discovery
that there was another stowaway
aboard. After the bar of light faded
away the poor fellows eyes played
strange tricks with him.
There, right in front, like two
| rubies on a curtain of velvet, were
the eyes-and he moaned again.
Reason told him that it was impossi-
| BILE to see them in the inky darkness;
yet when he shut his eyes and opened
| them once more the two little beads
of blood were still in the same place,
two lidless, vicious specks that
watched his every movement. No;
his sight was right-they were real
they were eating into his brain, burn
ing it up with their fierce brilliancy.
He had always had horror of
snakes. When he tramped from Sgd
ney to Bourke he remembered the
restless nights he had passed when he
pictured all sorts of reptiles crawling
in the scrub alongside his camp.
| Then. however, he could get away, he
could run; but here he was penned up
with tier after tier of bales rising
on either side and behind him, and
that horrible thing right in his path.
He foraged round and took bis
| o,,it Of thn hou nd fnw
from the little cask of water he pos
sessed. The boatswain's mate, with
whom he had arranged his surrepti-
tious passage, had agreed to stow a
certain amount of food and water at
the other end of the hold, but how
could he get anything now? He
would starve to death unless that
horrible creature went away!
Just then, disturbed by his move
ments, the snake hissed violently, and
a horrible fear came into the mans
mind. The reptile would want water!
He had heard that snakes will travel
a considerable distance in search of
water, and if that was true tn ,
watcher would never go away while
the little cask was there. 1t would in
all probability creep up and attack
him in the darkness, thinking that
he was keeping guard over it.
But perhaps the reptile would go
away If he let it drink. Turning
round with much difficulty the stow
away managed to push the water cask
in front of him down the little path
between the bales. Then he turned
the tap and allowed portion of it to
flow out on the floor.
Day followed day, but he never
slept. Sometimes he dozed for few
minutes, but he always started up
with those awful eyes burning into
his brain. Day after day the silver
thread came down through the gloom.
always resting on the same bale and
lighting for an instant the head Of
his horrible jailer. So that he might
know how many days had passed
since the boat left Sydney, he took
small Jumps of fax from a bale on
each side of the passage and passed
one over each day to wool bale OPP
posite. He forgot the darkness and
the stencil, and, most wonderful of
all, he did not feel hungry. The one
great horror in front of him par
alyzed his mind, and his other trou-
bles were small by comparison with
it.
One day-it was the fourth OF his
mprisonment-he thought he might
escape by climbing up the straight
face of the bales and passing high
over the snake. He attempted it at
last, but, nerve-sh aiken and feeble as
he was, he slipped and fell, springing
back to his old position with a Shrek
when the reptile hissed.
Next day, when the light came
down, he fancied that the serpent had
uncurled itself, and he pictured the
cold, scaly body that stretched away
from the head containing those ever
watchful eyes.
After he had counted ten balls of
fax something went wrong with his
brain. There seemed to be a thou
sand snakes in front of him, and each
pair of eyes seemed to be twin balls
of fire burning the life out of him.
They hedged him round, a semi-circle
OF fame cutting off all hope of es-
cape, and he put his head down on
the bale of wool and wept weakly.
The days became years and he lost
all cnuuf of tiOo
Then, one day, he heard someone
hammering in the hold, and shrieked
loudly. The reptile Kissed to drown
his bice, but he yelled louder still,
and presently someone hailed him out
of the darkness. After that he re-
membered no more.
Here, drop that bowling, Nor
gam said the first mate to COM
planning sailor. The snake is a car
pet one, and the bite is harmless
Pity that poor wretch of a stowaway
didn't know that; he has snakes on
the brain, and sees regiments of
them"
The sailor stopped his noise and
looked on while the mate ran tape
measure over the body of the dead