d of
his fright. The rattler had uncoiled and was creeping away when Ned
rushed up and struck at him. The snake coiled like a flash and
striking back, sunk his fangs in the stick within a foot of the hand
of the boy. Again Ned struck, and the snake returned the blow, both
of them missing their marks. Then the stick fell on the coils of the
reptile and the back of the rattlesnake was broken. After a few
finishing blows Ned dragged the six-foot creature by the tail to
the bank and was thrusting it into the water when Dick called out:

"Don't you want to save the skin?"

"Don't want to save anything to remind me of it. I never expect to
get the frightful sight of the open jaws and white fangs of that
beast out of my dreams."

Dick rested in camp the next day with the lynx, while Ned explored
with the canoe, looking for the head of some river of the west coast
that led to the Gulf, or for enough dry land to serve for a camp.
Every water course that he followed, sooner or later closed up on
him. He paddled four miles to the west through a long bay, only to
find that there was no outlet on the western end, excepting a narrow
creek which he followed until he could drag his canoe no farther. He
followed floating wisps of manatee grass, freshly torn up by the
roots, hoping to find the manatee which had spilled them, that he
might follow him to a channel which would lead out of the
wilderness. He discovered the manatee and was nearly swamped by the
first dash of the frightened creature. Then he lost track of the
animal after a long chase among the innumerable keys of the
so-called Ten Thousand Islands, and found that he was himself lost.
He paddled until it was dark and for an hour after that, when he
gave up hope of finding his camp that night.

He had a map of the country in his brain, but that was for daylight
use only. He was hungry, and that was nothing; but he was parched
with thirst from his long labor, and that was everything. He had
seen no dry land during the day, and it was hopeless to look for it
at night. It was never easy to keep the canoe balanced; if he dozed
for an instant he would certainly roll it over. He had made up his
mind to sentry duty for the night when through the darkness there
came to him a gleam of light from a far-distant fire. As he
approached, it brightened and sent up a crackling flame, in the
blaze of which Ned saw the tall palmettos of his camp.

"Were you worried, Dick?" he asked after