e was a low growling among the men as they laid their heads together
before pushing off to the ship.

"Now then," cried the mate, "what is it? Why don't you be off?"

"It's all right, sir," said the man who had first protested; "we can't
stand by and let you and Mr Brace do the job by yourselves. We four'll
help Dan peel the beggar as soon as they've fetched the rope from the
brig."

The boat pushed off, and the matter was discussed, the American
suggesting that the best plan would be to make an incision just below
where the skull was joined to the vertebrae, dislocate these so as to
put a stop to all writhing, get a noose round the neck, and then it
would be easy to divide the skin from throat to tail, and draw it off.

"Oh, yes, sir," said one of the men, just as the boat reached the side
of the brig; "we'll soon manage that."

"I say, Mr Briscoe," said Brace, "I suppose the ants won't be long in
picking the reptile's bones quite clean."

"Oh, no; they and the flies would soon finish anything that was left in
the way of flesh, but I was thinking of dragging the body afterwards
into the river. It's a five-and-twenty footer, though, without doubt."

"Yes," said Brace, "but I hope they're not going to be long with that
rope. I say, any fear of Indians about here?"

"Hi! look out!" cried one of the sailors, calling to Brace and the
others from where they were dividing the thick growth and peering about
trying to see what was beyond.

Three guns sent forth a clicking sound on the instant, as those who bore
them turned to face the expected danger.

Brace's nerves quivered with excitement as he listened for the whizz of
the arrows he expected to hear rush by.

"Give him another shot in the head, sir," cried one of the men; "he's
trying to wriggle himself back into the water."

Brace raised his gun to fire a charge into the serpent's head again, for
sure enough the monster was gliding slowly back through the undergrowth
into the stream.

But the men did not wait for him to fire. Following Dan's example and
setting aside all their horror and repugnance as they saw the reptile
gliding back slowly into the river, they acted as if moved by the same
set of muscles, and threw themselves upon the long lithe creature.

"Now then, lads, take a good grip of him," cried Dan, "and we'll run him
up the bank as far as we can. Ugh!"

His mates backed him up well, seizing the serpent just behind the
wounded head with