"I hope I didn't hurt you, Bob?"
"I—I think one leg is singed, but that don't count, Mark! Ugh! what a horrible creature it was!"
"Right you are."
"Are the others following?"
Both looked back but could see nothing of the other reptiles. Soon they had given that locality a wide berth, and then both breathed a bit easier.
"We must have our eyes open after this," said Mark, as he and his chum reloaded their shotguns. "If that snake was poisonous you had a pretty close shave."
"I guess I had a pretty close shave as it was," answered Bob, with a shudder. "Of all the horrible things in this world, I think a snake is the worst!"
"I think so myself."
They kept on, and at last reached the river, which at this point was broad and shallow, with a rocky bottom. They stopped for a drink and then gazed up and down the watercourse in perplexity.
"Is the ford up or down?" asked Mark.