Alan never relaxed his watchful gaze. Suddenly the reptile lowered its head and an ugly hiss came from its mouth.
“Now,” cried Alan, and as he hurled the knife, harpoon-like into the open mouth two heavy stones came crashing down on its skull.
The sudden onslaught dazed the creature, and its head dropped to the ground. Quickly they rushed past it, but they all realized that they were not yet out of danger. The passage they were in was very narrow and the serpent was so immense that it was impossible for them to stand without feeling the clammy skin next to them.
Jez-Riah shuddered. “What will become of us?” she moaned “It is too big to kill.” And indeed, it seemed to be, for Alan had not exaggerated. The length was quite thirty feet, and the girth of its middle was perhaps ten feet, narrowing to two at the tail.
“You can’t kill it,” cried Desmond. “Why we haven’t even the old clasp knife now.” A sudden convulsive movement passed along the serpent’s body, and it made them retch to see the tremor coming from its head in undulating movements to its tail. Then it raised itself up, and Alan was right—it was impossible for it to turn—it was far too big and cumbersome. For some time, with its head raised perhaps six feet from the ground, it writhed to and fro in growing anger that its prey should so elude it. As its anger grew greater, its body rolled and moved in convulsive heaps, and the trio sickened as the malodorous mass pressed itself against them and pinioned them to the wall.
“Lannie, what can we do?” asked Desmond. Jez-Riah was almost unconscious with the awful pressure, and the strain was telling on the two boys. The strength of the beast was enormous, and they realized that it had the power, even when at a disadvantage itself, to press the very life out of them against the wall.
Then came a sudden sense of relief, as the serpent contracted itself, but gave way to horror as they realized that it was backing through the opening, and its filthy head would soon be on a line with them.
“Stones,” urged Alan hoarsely. “Hurl them at the head. Jez-Riah, you must help too.”
Feverishly they worked throwing rocks and stones with force at the monster’s head. It withstood the onslaught valiantly for a time—its strength was enormous—but at last a well directed shot of Desmond’s caught it full between the eyes, and the head dropped like a stone.
“The serpent—it is dead?” asked Jez-Riah. “But alas, no. The body is twitching all over—it has life still.”