and face, that I soon found to be impossible; and as I lay there I
could feel that the muddy ooze was all in motion beneath me with the
spawn of those great alligators of the river."

"Wur-r-r-ra!" ejaculated Tom in a long shudder.

"Over and over again I felt something crawl over me, and once something
seized me, gave me a shake, and then let go; but the height of my horror
was reached when I felt slowly gliding and coiling upon me what must
have been one of the water-boas. I could feel it gradually growing
heavier and heavier with the great thick folds lying upon my chest, my
legs, and even up to my throat, till the sense of suffocation was
horrible, and I lay momentarily expecting to be wrapped in the monster's
folds and crushed to death, till suddenly I felt every part of the body
in motion, and that it was gliding off me, for the sense of the crushing
weight was going. For a moment I thought it was to enable the beast to
seize me, but the next instant I knew what it meant, for I could faintly
hear voices, which I rightly judged to have scared the reptile away.
Then something touched me as I heard indistinctly the voices close by,
and with what little strength I had left I clutched at whatever it was;
and you know the rest."

By this time we had reached the edge of the plantation, and I was
glancing anxiously towards the hacienda in dread lest anything should
have happened. But so far all appeared at peace. It was drawing
towards evening and the shadows were lengthening, but the whole place
seemed to be sleeping in the gorgeous yellow sunlight, so still and
placid looked all around.

Still, indeed! for an ominous change met us upon our reaching the
court-yard. Every Indian labourer, male and female, had gone, and the
place was silent and deserted.

"The rats desert the sinking ship, Harry," said my uncle huskily. "For
Heaven's sake run in and see if all is well; I dare go no farther!"

I needed no second bidding to rush in and hurry to the room where the
wounded Spaniards had lain, to find it deserted.

With a strange clutching at the heart I ran to the inner room and called
Lilla by name, when, to my intense delight, she answered, and with my
aunt, weak and trembling, she came forth.

We soon learned the cause of the silence about the place. Shortly after
I had taken my departure Senor Xeres had roused up from the short sleep
into which he had sunk, to express his determination to recommence his
jou