r innings, and nearly got bitten. That's taste enough for you. Let
me have a bit of the fun. But look here, doctor; when a man is bitten
you get out a bottle and a little squirt thing, make a hole in one of
the veins, and send in a lot of stuff, don't you?"

"Inject ammonia?" replied the doctor. "Yes; as a resource after lancing
the wound and drawing out the poison, I should try that."

"Ammonia," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Yes, that's it--counteracts the
poison, doesn't it?"

"Yes, and in some cases successfully, if it has been injected soon
enough."

"Hah!" cried the American. "That's what I wanted to get at--soon
enough. Now how would it be if to get quite soon enough you got out
your bottle and gave me a dose of that stuff before I started?"

"What, injected into one of your veins?"

"Yes, sir. What do you say to that?"

"Impossible! I would not venture upon such an experiment except with a
bitten subject."

"Sorry to hear that, sir," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Well, how would
it be if I swallowed some?"

"I fear that it would be useless."

"Very well, sir; you know best, and I must do without it. My boots will
pull up a bit higher, and I'll slip on another pair of trousers and my
thick jersey over my jacket; then if one of the beauties bites, his
teeth may not go through. There'll only be my hands and face."

"But what do you propose doing--running in, seizing the kegs, and trying
to carry them out?"

"Nay, that makes the job too risky, sir. It would be just stirring the
creatures up like bees in a hive, and they'd come raging out to fight.
I've got a better plan than that."

"Yes; what is it?" said the doctor, and Chris took a step nearer.

"Just this, sir. I'll take a couple of the hide-ropes, knot them
together, and coil them up lasso fashion. After that I'm going to make
a fire and heat one of these iron tent-pegs red-hot--one of those with
the eye to them. Soon as it's well hot I'm going to bend it round into
a hook, slip one end of the rope through the eye and make fast, and then
I'm going to fish with that hook--throwing it in till it catches the keg
chain that couples them together, and as soon as I've got a bite run out
the line ready for a couple of us to haul the water right away clean
from the snake's nest. What do you say to that?"

"I say it isn't fair," cried Chris excitedly. "You, Ned, you are a
sneak to go and tell him."

"I didn't tell him," cried Ned indignan