re to hunt, and even in other woods they constantly went
in fear of meeting her. Too much disgusted to talk with him, I went on
in silence; and when we reached the stream near the village, I threw off
my clothes and plunged into the water to cool my anger before going in
to the others.

CHAPTER VI

Thinking about the forest girl while lying awake that night, I came to
the conclusion that I had made it sufficiently plain to her how little
her capricious behaviour had been relished, and had therefore no need
to punish myself more by keeping any longer out of my beloved green
mansions. Accordingly, next day, after the heavy rain that fell during
the morning hours had ceased, I set forth about noon to visit the wood.
Overhead the sky was clear again; but there was no motion in the heavy
sultry atmosphere, while dark blue masses of banked-up clouds on the
western horizon threatened a fresh downpour later in the day. My mind
was, however, now too greatly excited at the prospect of a possible
encounter with the forest nymph to allow me to pay any heed to these
ominous signs.

I had passed through the first strip of wood and was in the succeeding
stony sterile space when a gleam of brilliant colour close by on the
ground caught my sight. It was a snake lying on the bare earth; had I
kept on without noticing it, I should most probably have trodden upon
or dangerously near it. Viewing it closely, I found that it was a coral
snake, famed as much for its beauty and singularity as for its deadly
character. It was about three feet long, and very slim; its ground
colour a brilliant vermilion, with broad jet-black rings at equal
distances round its body, each black ring or band divided by a narrow
yellow strip in the middle. The symmetrical pattern and vividly
contrasted colours would have given it the appearance of an artificial
snake made by some fanciful artist, but for the gleam of life in its
bright coils. Its fixed eyes, too, were living gems, and from the point
of its dangerous arrowy head the glistening tongue flickered ceaselessly
as I stood a few yards away regarding it.

"I admire you greatly, Sir Serpent," I said, or thought, "but it is
dangerous, say the military authorities, to leave an enemy or possible
enemy in the rear; the person who does such a thing must be either a bad
strategist or a genius, and I am neither."

Retreating a few paces, I found and picked up a stone about as big as
a man's hand and hurled