Year: 1874

L
have kicked little. Then there was q
rapid movement in the cradle, and as
glanced along the gun barrel. taking
aim, there was the whole of the horrible
reptile exposed to view, coil gliding on
coil, as it seemed to fill the whole era
die had my gun been charged with
shot l should have fired, SO as to have
disabled some parts of its body; but
with only single bullet, 1 felt that the
head must be the part attacked when
opportunity offered.


Glide, glide, glide, one coil over
another quickly and easily, as it were
untying its knotted body, while now
the head elowly rose from where it had
been lying, and crept nearer and nearer
to the child's face, the forked tongue
darting in and out, and playing rapidly
on either side of its hideous mouth. /
could see the glance of the snakes eyes,
and expected every moment to hear the
little one shrek in terror, as the low
cred head rested over her breast. But
no, the child lay perfectly still for a
few minutes, and then I stood trembling
in every limb as I saw the snakes head
drawn back, and then begin to sway to
and fro, and from side to side, the glis-
tening neck of the beast gently undu-
lating whilst the tongue still darted in
and out of the dresdful-looking mouth.


Now was the time when I should have
fired but 1 was too unnervedl and laying
down my gun, seized my hoe, meaning
to attack the beast with its stout handle !;
but my hand fell paralyzed at my side
as l saw the little one in the cradle
smile and laugh ct the gently undulat-
ing head of the snake while, as the
agony grew to be greater than I could
bear, in seeing the little white hands
try to catch at it as it swayed to and
fro, my powers seemed to come back.
1 snatched up the gun. and as the
snakes head WAS drawn back prepara-
tory to striking, I pulled the trigger,
when the sharp crack of the percussion
cap alone followed-perhaps providen-
TALLY, for in my trembling state l might
have injured the child. Then 1 saw
rapid wreathing of the coils in the era
die, and as the tail OF the snake glided
over the side, everything around me
seemed to swim, and tried to catch at
the wall of the hut to save myself from
falling.


But that soon went of, and gazing in
at tho window, I tried to make out the
whereabouts of my enemy, as recapped
and tapped the gun, so that the powder
might run up the nipple.


The snake was nowhere to be seen,
and darting in I seized the child, and
carried it out to its mother, when, now
feeling relieved of one horrible calamity,
I obtained my shot pouch from the
kitchen, rammed down q charge upon
the bullet, and cautiously went in search
of the reptile.


I knew he must still be in the part of
the hut We used for q sleeping place.
and after cautiously peering about, l
came upon the hole where it had taken
refuge - an opening between the
roughly-sawn planks laid loosely down
to form q floor while, unless there was
an outlet beneath the woodwork, 1 felt
that the beast must be there I; and to
make it more probable, there was our
cat, that we had bought kitten in
Sydney, gazing with staring eyes down
at the hole.


Just then heard soft rustling be-
meath my feet, and as looked down, l
could see between the two boards the
scaly body gliding along. The next
moment there came the loud report of
the gun, the place was full of smoke,
there was loud scuffling noise, and as
l looked down between the boards
where the charge had forced a passage
through, there was no sign of the snake.


"Hsrry, Harry I" shrieked my wife
Just Ithen; and on rushing out, there
was the beast writhing about in the
path, evidently badly wounded, while
some crushed down flowers by the hut
wall showed plainly the pole of commu-
twist as that creature did, but was too
excited then to feel afraid, and few
blows from the butt-end of my gun laid
it so that there was only little move
ment left in its body, which did not
stop for an hour or two after 1 had cut
off its head with an axe.


should have liked to skin the beast,
but could not master my horror. 1
measured it though; fourteen feet three
inches long it was, and as thick as my
arm while as to its weight, saw the
cradle rock to and fro heavily as it
glided over the side.


Snakes are scarce now in these parts
for there isn't man in Queensland thai
does not wage war against them, and
where there was one settler then, there
are scores now.-CdsseTs Magazine.