“It’s rather dark,” said Jack. “Hadn’t we better light a torch?”
“By all means,” said the teacher, and went out and got a pine branch. This burnt very well, although it made quite some smoke. They advanced with caution, for the cave was not very high and nobody wanted to strike his head on the sharp rocks above. In some places the tree-roots hung down like so many snakes.
“By the way, I wonder if there are any snakes in here?” observed Dale, when from under a rock glided a reptile about two feet long, followed by another a trifle smaller. Dale let out a yell and retreated, and so did the other boys.
“They are harmless,” called out George Strong. “They are common wood-snakes. See, they have crawled out of sight already. They are more scared than you are.”
“I must say I hate snakes,” said Jack. “I am willing to leave them alone if only they will leave me alone.”
“The trouble is, most folks know very little about snakes,” said the teacher. “Why, a snake can be made a great pet, just like a cat or a dog, or a bird. Many snake-charmers really make pets of their snakes.”
“Excuse me, I’d rather have a dog or a bird any day,” said Dale.
“Or even an old tomcat,” put in Pepper.
The cave was not very wide, indeed it seemed to be merely a split in the rocks and dirt. In one spot the tree-roots were so thick the party had to literally force its way along.
“Be careful,” came in a warning from George Strong. “Don’t get stuck so tight that you can’t get out again.”