“Oh,” said Dick; “I don’t call that a long one.”
“This is just the sort of place to find a large one, I should say,” continued Mr Rogers. “Hot, dry, stony places for basking, and dense, hot, steamy nooks down by the little river and lagoons where it would be likely to lie in wait for its prey.”
But though they looked well about, they saw nothing, and the heat having now become intense, they found a clump of trees close by a trickling streamlet that ran along from the rocks to the river, and sat down to rest and eat their lunch.
They felt too drowsy and tired with their morning’s walking to care to do much in the afternoon, and they were quietly looking over their captures after shifting their places twice to get out of the sun as the shadow swept on, when Dick suddenly caught his father’s arm, and pointed towards the rocks.
“What’s that shining over there?” he said quickly.
Chicory had been asleep the moment before, but Dick’s movement and question roused him on the instant, and he glanced in the direction indicated.
“Big snake,” he said decisively. “Chicory go and kill um.”
The boy ran towards the rocks, and, picking up their guns, the rest followed—to see that it was a large serpent from whose scales the sun had gleamed. They could not even guess at its length it was so knotted up in folds; but its body was nearly as big round as that of Chicory, who seemed in nowise afraid of the great reptile, but picked up a mass of rock larger than his head, balanced it on one hand, and advanced towards the sleeping serpent, which had chosen one of the hottest portions of the rock for its siesta.
“Yap! yap! yap!” shouted Chicory; and the creature moved slowly, its whole body seeming to be in motion.
This was not enough for Chicory, who drew his kiri out of his waistband, and threw it heavily at the reptile.