intended,
before two days more had passed.

Shortly before noon they came upon lower ground, with the high hills
rising some ten miles farther on. A stream trickled through beds of
reeds and swamp-grass, and it was decided that they should follow the
high ground upstream, in the hope of being thus led to their hard-sought
goal.

Schoverling and Charlie employed the shotgun in turn, shooting from
their horses, and stocking the whole camp with wildfowl. The Masai had
spread out in great glee, investigating this strange land like children,
when a sudden yell of horror went up from one of them.

Turning as the doctor echoed the shout, those ahead were horrified to
see a tremendous python curled about the struggling warrior, at the very
edge of the reeds twenty yards away. The huge head of the snake was
high--at least six feet above that of the warrior, about whom its coils
were tightening slowly. The Masai, with horrible yells, was slashing
away without effect, and even as they looked his arms were bound about
and fell useless.

"Good heavens!" groaned Schoverling, who had left his rifle in the
wagon. The Indians spurred forward with outstretched guns, but in that
moment von Hofe proved himself cooler than any. The boys had been afraid
to fire, but even as Charlie and Jack threw up their guns the little
rifle of the doctor spoke out once and then again.

Struck in the neck by both balls, the python's head drooped and his
coils broke away. In a flash the Masai wriggled loose and turned, sword
in hand, while his comrades dashed fearlessly to his rescue. For a
moment there was a wild turmoil of bodies; one of the warriors was flung
a dozen feet away by the slashing tail, then the python fell, cut into a
score of pieces.

The exciting combat was begun and over in a moment. Charlie dashed to
the side of the men, but it proved that neither of the Masai had been
seriously hurt. The first had suffered merely from a vigorous squeeze,
the second had the breath knocked out of him, so no attention was paid
to the injuries. Measured carefully, the python proved to be thirty feet
in length.

"Things look pretty grave," said Schoverling soberly that evening when
they were in camp farther up the stream, but well away from the reeds.
"Mowbray's forty-foot python was no dream, my friends. We must keep our
rifles in the holsters and at our hands night and day in this country."

"The Masai behaved splendidly," exclaimed Charlie admi