ection of the spot
where they had seen the marks upon the leaf, and in a very short time
the forest was silent again.

"Was not that a very narrow escape, Shaddy?" said Rob at last.

"No, my lad, I think not. Some people would say it was, and be ready to
tell no end of cock-and-bull stories about what that serpent was going
to do; but I've never known them play any games except once, and then
the creature only acted according to its nature. It was in a sort of
lake place, half pool, half river, and pretty close to the sea. It was
near a gentleman's plantation, and the black folk used to go down every
day to bathe. This they did pretty regularly till one day while they
were romping about in the shallow water, which only came up to their
middles, one of them shouted for help, saying that a 'gator had got hold
of her, and then laughed. The others took no notice, because it was a
'sterical sort of laugh, as they call it, and thought she was playing
tricks; but all at once they saw that she was struggling hard and being
drawn backwards. That was enough. They all made a rush and caught hold
of her arms just as she was being slowly drawn down lower, and when they
dragged her nearer the shore, whatever it was that held her yielded a
little, though it still hung on to the poor girl; while as they got her
nearer a shriek rose, and every one nearly let go, for the head of a big
snake was drawn right out of the water, but at the next snatch it loosed
its hold and dropped back with a splash."

They were by this time approaching the spot where they had seen the
marks, and Shaddy advanced more cautiously, scanning every leaf and twig
before he stepped forward for signs of him they sought. Here and there
he was able to point out marks such as Mr Brazier might have made--
marks that had been passed over during their journey in the other
direction. For there were places where he had evidently torn down
leaves, mosses, and curious shade-loving growths, some of which he had
carelessly tossed aside, and in one case the fragment thrown down was
about half of the bulb of an orchid, whose home had been upon the mossy
limb of a great tree overhead.

"He has been by here, sure enough, Mr Rob," said Shaddy in a subdued
voice; "and, between ourselves, it was quite a bit of madness for him to
come right out here alone. Now then, sir, keep a sharp look-out, and
let's see if we can't find the spots straight off. They were pretty
nigh,