nd
whir-r-r-r-r-r--how his rattles shake. Now he comes out, head up,
tongue out, eyes like coals of fire--give him the stones now--a full
battery of them! Halloo! what's Sloan about there with his crotched
pole. Well planted, by Jupiter! right around his neck. Ha! ha! ha! how
he twists and turns and writhes about--how he would like to bite! how
he would like to strike some of that tawny poison of his into our
veins! Yes, yes, your snake-ship! but it wont do! "you can't come it,"
as Loafing Jim says, "no how you can fix it."

He's a tremendous snake though--full four feet! u-g-h! only think of
his crawling around and catching hold of the calf of your leg! Not so
pleasant as picking whortleberries, to say the least of it. See his
gray mottled skin! though it looks beautiful, flashing in the rays of
the sun--and then the ribbed white of his undershape! However, what
shall we do with him! Sloan, hold him tight now, and I'll aim at his
head. Good sharp stone this--whew--well aimed, although I say it--I
think he must have felt it this time. Halloo! another stone--from
Wescott. I fancy that made his head ache! And that one has crushed it
as flat as a--griddle-cake.

We again, after this terrific battle, (a dozen against one though I
must confess,) scatter among the bushes. Awful onslaughts are again
made amongst the berries, and our baskets (those at all events in
sight) are plumping up with the delicious, ripe, azure balls. I have
forgotten to mention, though, that it is a very warm day. The sky is
of a pale tint, as if the bright, pure, deep blue had been blanched
out by the heat; and all around the horizon are wan thunder-caps
thrusting up their peaks and summits. It looks decidedly thunderish.

What's that again! another alarm? How that girl does scream out there!
What on earth is the matter! We rush around a sand-bank, looking warm
and yellow in the sun, and we see the cause of the outbreak. There is
Caroline G. shrinking back as if she would like to evaporate into thin
air, and executing a series of shrieks, with her open mouth, of the
most thrilling character. Young Mason is a little in front, with a
knotted stick, doubtless just picked up, whilst some ten or twelve
rods in advance is a great shaggy black bear, very coolly helping
himself to the contents of the two baskets hitherto borne by the
couple, giving himself time, however, every now and then to look out
of his little black eyes at the rightful owners, with r