Year: 1874

u6uC CQaC Cle DaDY WOulU wake ana
make some movement sufficient to irri.
tate the snake. and then I felt that the
little thing must die.


! What should [ do? l asked myself
as the horrible feeling Of helplessness
wore of. If I crept in and reached
the cradle SIDE unheard. [ dared not
chop at the beast for fear of injuriny
the child for I could see that some of
the folds lay right across it, I dared
not make noise. lest the next moment
the child should wake up as we'll as the
reptile, for knew the rapidity with
which the reptile could wrcathe fold
after fold around the object it attacked;
while. if Of poisonous nature. they
strike in an instant. Thoughts came
swiftly enough, but they were unavail-
ing; for to wait till the baby awoke,
or to 60 in and attack the snake, seemed
equally dangerous. Even if I made
slight noise the danger seemed as great,
since, though the snake might wake
first and glide off, the probabilities were
just as great that the child MI ght wake
at the same time


And so I turned over the chances
again and again my eyes al! the while
fixed upon the two sleeping occupants
of the cradle. whose pleasant warmth
had evidently attracted the reptile.


Il went in and saw it there" wilis-
pered my wife, and then, without ia king
my eyes for an instant from the snake.
I whispered the one word 'gun,' and
she glided from NY side


| did not know then, but size told NE
afterward, how she carried the little
boy to distance and given him some
flowers to play with, while she crept
back to the hut, and reaching in at the
kitchen window brought NE my gun.
for I had not stirred And now. as [
grasped the piece in my hand, knowing
as did that it was loaded, it seemed of
no use: for I dare not FIRE; but with
trembling hands, I felt in my pocket to
see if there was bullet in them, and
then softly pulling out the ramrod,
unscrewed the piece and let the shot
patterinv out, when softly forced
down the bullet upon the powder, ex-
auined the cap and stood ready waiting
for chance for I thought that the
shot might have scattered, and if ever
ST. little, might have injured the child
instead of the enemy.


And there we stood for quite half an
hour, watching intently that horrible
beast completely nestled in the blanket,
expecting momentariy that the baby
would awake, while my hand trembled
so that l could not hold the gun steady.
One minute I was thinking that had
done wrong in changing the charge, the
next minute that I was right. then I
fancied the gun might miss fire, or that
| uight slay my own child. A hun
dred horrible thoughts entered nv
mind before little Joe began to cry out
to his mother, and she glided away
while muttered to myself, ''Thank
Heaven - for she was spared from see
ing what followed.


As if at one and the same moment,
the child and the snake woke up. |
saw the baby's hand move, and its little
arm thrown out, while from the mo-
ton beneath the blanket knew that it
must have kicked little. Then there
was 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 cradle; had ny gun been charged
with shot should have fred, 50 as to
have disabled some part Of its body :;
hut with only single bullet. I felt chat
the head must be the part attacked
when opportunity offered.


Glide, glide. glide, one coil over an.
other, quickly and easily, as it were,
untying its knotted body, while now
the head slowly rose frrsn where 1t had
been lying and crept nearer and nearer
to the child's place, the torked tongue
darl'n& in and out, and playing rapidly
Oh either side Of i,s hideous mouth
could see the glance Of the snakes eyes,
and expected every u.o'nent to- hear the
Iittlc one shrek in terror as the lowerc.!
head rested over her breast. But no.
the child lay perfectly still for Il few
minutes, aud then l stood trembling il,
every |imb as saw the snakes head
drawn back, and then begin to sway e.
and fro, and from side to side, the glist-
! .ninr uncls IL the haast ..ontiu mud .,l.