replied the doctor, shifting his position and raising the arm a
little. "The fangs are like needle-points, and make so small a wound.
Can't see anything. Whereabouts was it, Jack?"

"Just there," said the lad, speaking more decisively; and he laid his
left finger on his arm. "Two sharp blows."

"And a keen pricking sensation each time?" said the doctor, looking
curiously at his patient.

"No; I did not feel anything but the blows."

"Here's the silver bottle, sir," panted Ned.

"Hold it," said the doctor. Then to Jack, "Did the snake strike at you
anywhere else?"

"No."

"Pray, pray give him something," cried Sir John impatiently; "the poison
runs through the veins so quickly."

"Yes," said the doctor quietly, as he wrinkled up his forehead, and,
dropping the boy's arm, he caught the jacket from where it lay.

"Nothing here," he muttered. "Pish! Wrong sleeve."

He hastily took the other, and turned the sleeve up to the light.

"Hah!" he cried; "here we are. Look, Meadows!"

"Never mind the jacket, man," cried Sir John passionately.

"Why not?" said the doctor coolly. "Nothing the matter with the lad.
Touch of nerves. Horribly startling for him. See this?"

He held up the sleeve, and there upon the puckered part were two almost
imperceptible yellowish stains, in each case upon the raised folds.

[Half a page of text missing here.]

"I couldn't help it," said Jack.

"Of course you couldn't," said the doctor.

"But father thinks that I was a dreadful coward."

"Then he ought to know better," said the doctor quickly. "Nothing to be
ashamed of, my lad. Imagination's a queer thing. I once fainted
because I thought I had cut myself, while I was skinning a dog which had
been poisoned. I was a student then, and knew the dangers of wounds
from a poisoned knife; and, by the way, we must take care of the wounds
from poisoned arrows. Well, when I washed my hand there wasn't a
scratch. You couldn't help it, Jack. Any man might be seized like that
after seeing Death make two darts at him and feeling him strike."

[Half a page of text missing here.]

"Is any one hurt?" said a voice then; and Mr Bartlett's head appeared
above the edge of the lava wall.

"No; all right. Only an alarm, and a narrow escape. How about the
savages?"

"They're gone in the direction of the yacht, gentlemen, and we must get
back as quickly as we can."

"Ah, look! look!" cried Ned excitedly, as he pointed out to s