When Chouse got tired of playing by himself, he lay down on the sand near Greta, watching her every minute. Suddenly he noticed something wriggling along the sand not far away. He sat up and looked. Soon the wriggling stopped. But Chouse kept on watching this strange object. Then he got up and walked nearer to it, walking ever so quietly and carefully. He simply must see what this strange creature was. Greta wasn't paying any attention to Chouse or to the strange object near by. She was too busy looking for amber. Chouse stood without moving, watching the now motionless creature.
"Oh, Greta, I think I've found a real piece of amber!" Anna ran across the beach in great excitement. When she was ten feet from Greta she stopped in terror. "Greta!" she screamed. "Look out! Run!"
Greta stood up and looked around, too startled to run. What had happened? Then she saw. Not two feet away lay a green snake, coiled and ready to strike. Greta knew at once that this was the most poisonous snake in all Denmark. Her father had often warned her about it. But she simply couldn't run. She was so frightened that she had lost the power to move. Greta knew that in less than a minute the snake would strike her. She knew that she must get away. But she couldn't.
At that very instant Chouse sprang forward. He had been watching this crawling green creature for many minutes. Now was the time for him to act. And he did act. He seized the snake by the neck and quickly carried it off to a high sand dune. In less than two minutes the snake was dead.
Greta sank down on the sand and Anna rushed up to her. "Oh, Greta, are you all right?"
"Yes, Anna, I'm all right. But I was so frightened that I couldn't move."
Chouse came back to Greta and she took him in her lap. "After this, Chouse, I think you will have to go with us wherever we go. I am quite sure that Father won't send you away."