ase hurry!
He won't wait long!"

Frank, followed by Jerry, was off like a shot. His face turned white with
sudden apprehension as he ran. Coming upon Will, kneeling there, and
watching, he seized him by the shoulders and whirled him back,
exclaiming:

"Why, you greenhorn, don't you know that's a diamond-back rattler, coiled
up and ready to launch himself at you?"

CHAPTER VIII

WILL DOES IT

"Talk to me about babes in the woods!" gasped jerry.

He was staring at the enormous rattler, that still kept up a buzzing with
his rattle, and which sound poor Will had believed was made by a locust.

"Shoot the thing, Jerry! You've been wise enough to fetch your gun!" said
Frank.

"That just suits me. Have you got all the snapshots you want, Will?"
demanded Jerry, falling on one knee and elevating his rifle.

"There! He's reforming! You see, he did actually think of me, for once.
Oh, yes. I snapped him three times. I rather think he didn't like the
sound, for he darted his head at me wickedly. I suspected it might be a
rattlesnake, though," replied the photographer calmly.

Then came a sharp report.

"Keep back!" called Jerry as the snake's folds suddenly flew out; but its
head was almost blown from its body, and there was no more danger to
be feared.

"I'll get the rattle, to remind you of your narrow squeak, Will," said
Jerry.

"That's kind of you, now; but I rather think you are getting it to remind
you of your first shot at game with the new rifle," remarked Will.

The others had by now come up to stare at the enormously thick snake,
with more or less of a shudder.

"How about having that skin, to make a belt or something?" suggested
Bluff.

"You're welcome to it, if you can take it off and properly dry if; but
you're so squeamish about snakes I'd hardly think you'd care for the
job," remarked Jerry.

"I'll see. I heard Nellie say she always wanted a belt made out of a skin
like that, and perhaps I may try to get it," concluded Bluff.

"Are we going to proceed, or put in a day around here, fellows?" asked
Frank.

"I say stay. We may not get another chance at a swamp before we reach the
open gulf, and I want to snap a dozen fine views off around here. I mean
to take the little dinghy and push into the swamp a bit," ventured Will.

"Say! he's getting real venturesome, ain't he?" laughed Jerry.

"Next thing he'll be getting lost, and we'll have a deuce of a time
finding him again. Make him tak