opped the guns!"

"No one can stare a snake out--no one," said Venning; and his eyes
were fixed.

"How far can it strike?"

"It has no lids to its eyes. It just looks and looks. Compton!"

Compton took Venning by the arm and shook him. "Come on," he cried.
"What are we standing here for?"

But as he spoke his eyes went up involuntarily, and his pupils
expanded.

"It's coming closer," he whispered.

"And its eyes are brighter." Venning shut his eyes, and gripped his
companion.

They swayed, and just managed to save themselves from a headlong
fall by grasping a branch. The shock restored them, and the next
minute they had swung themselves up on to the branch, and from that
to the next. It was done in an instant, but when they cast a
breathless look down, they saw the unwinking eyes looking up at
them from the very spot they had just left. The snake had a double
coil round the branch that had supported them, while the huge body
bridged the distance to the branches from which the blow had been
delivered just a moment too late. As they looked, the hinder part
of the body fell with a thud against the tree-trunk, and began to
ripple up.

"Back," said Compton, "to the next tree."

They darted to the vine-bridge, swung over, then stopped to see if
the snake would follow.

"The monkey-rope would never bear its weight," said Venning.

"Can you hear it? By Jove, I feel all of a jump. I felt as if I had
to stand there and watch it come right up."

"Ugh!" said Compton. "It was awful. Get ready to run. I see it--over
there--just opposite; it's going up--no, down. I say, it will chase
us from underneath. Come on!"

Venning went a little lower, the better to see the ground.

"Hi! underneath, Mr. Hume! Muata! Hi! Coo-ee!"

"Halloa! What is it?"

"A snake! He's going down the next tree to this. Look out!"

"All right; but you will find it safer down here."

They were of that same opinion, and were down with a run, that took
some of the bark off their shins, as well as off the trees.

"And where are your guns?"

"Dropped them," said Compton.

"I see. Dropped them first, and discovered your danger after."

"Rub it in, sir. We ought to have followed you; and we have had a
fine fright. It's big enough to scare any one."

All the time, they had their eyes turned up on the watch for the
slightest movement, but the tree was as quiet as if it had not
harboured anything more dangerous than a caterpillar.

"Wher