“Hold my rifle, Chris, and I’ll go,” cried Ned eagerly, and the next minute he was scaling the side, and on reaching the top he walked to where he was nearly over the reptile, where he picked up a couple of stones of the size of a man’s fist and pitched one down, with the result that the snake began to writhe violently again, but only for a very brief time, before once more lying perfectly inert.
“No more mischief in that fellow,” said Griggs. “I may as well go down now.”
“What about the others?” said Chris.
“What others?”
“There are sure to be some more.”
“Nay; rattlers are not above showing fight. If there had been any more we should have seen or heard them. I shall chance it now.”
“I don’t like your going down yet,” said Chris anxiously. “I’ll have a shot at him now.”
“Nay, nay; we may want our cartridges for something more useful than a rattler that has had as much as it wants to kill it.”
“I’ll drop another stone on him,” said Ned. “One of those big ones.”
“Ah, do,” said Griggs. “Take good aim, and drop it right on his head. Can you see?”