[CHAPTER III]
THE DESERTED CABIN
In a few minutes the hair rope was all about the auto, spread out on the ground in an irregular circle. As the boys dropped it over the sides of the car the lariat struck several of the big snakes, and the reptiles shrunk away as though scorched by fire.
“They’re afraid of it all right!” exclaimed Ned. “I guess it will do the business.”
Sure enough, there seemed to be a desire on the part of the snakes to clear out of the vicinity of the hair rope. They glided off by scores, and soon there was a clear space all about the car, where, before, there had been hundreds of the crawling things.
“Shake the lasso,” suggested Bob, “and maybe it will scare them farther off.”
“Yes and we might try shooting a few now they are at a safe distance,” put in Ned.
“It’s too bad I can’t get some specimens,” lamented the professor, “but I suppose you had better try to get rid of them.”
So Jerry, who had retained one end of the long lasso vibrated it rapidly, and, as it wiggled in sinuous folds toward the reptiles they made haste to get out of the way. Then Bob and Ned opened fire, killing several. In a little while there were no snakes to be seen.