"It's coming closer," he whispered.
"And its eyes are brighter." Venning shut his eyes, and gripped his companion.
They swayed, and just managed to save themselves from a headlong fall by grasping a branch. The shock restored them, and the next minute they had swung themselves up on to the branch, and from that to the next. It was done in an instant, but when they cast a breathless look down, they saw the unwinking eyes looking up at them from the very spot they had just left. The snake had a double coil round the branch that had supported them, while the huge body bridged the distance to the branches from which the blow had been delivered just a moment too late. As they looked, the hinder part of the body fell with a thud against the tree-trunk, and began to ripple up.
"Back," said Compton, "to the next tree."
They darted to the vine-bridge, swung over, then stopped to see if the snake would follow.
"The monkey-rope would never bear its weight," said Venning.
"Can you hear it? By Jove, I feel all of a jump. I felt as if I had to stand there and watch it come right up."
"Ugh!" said Compton. "It was awful. Get ready to run. I see it—over there—just opposite; it's going up—no, down. I say, it will chase us from underneath. Come on!"
Venning went a little lower, the better to see the ground.
"Hi! underneath, Mr. Hume! Muata! Hi! Coo-ee!"