"No, sir. I heard it in the wall, and fired."
"Yes, and you have hit it, too," said the merchant. "Listen."
The boys were quite ready to obey, and all stood attentively trying to analyse the meaning of the movements below the floor.
It proved to be easy enough, for the violent writhings ceased, and the serpent began to ascend the side of the room again in the hollow wall.
They went on tip-toe to the spot they had marked down, and as soon as they were still again they could hear the faint crick, crick, crick of the scales on the wood, as the serpent crawled from beneath the floor and extended itself more and more up the side, so that it was plain enough to trace the length upward, till evidently a good six feet had been reached.
"My turn now," said Harry, cocking his piece. "Shall I fire father?"
"No; it would only bring it down again, and if it dies beneath the floor or in the wall it will be a great nuisance to get it out. It will mean picking the place to pieces."
"Let it go on up into the roof, then."
"Yes," said Mr. Kenyon; "if it gets up there it will be sure to descend to the eaves, and if we keep a pretty good watch we shall see it coming down slowly, and you will both get a good shot at it."
They stood listening for a few minutes longer, and then the crick, crick in the wall ceased, and it was evident that a long and heavy body was gliding along over the ceiling.