I had almost cried aloud to warn him, when, I checked myself. The man had come to murder me; he must take his chance. He had turned to me, satisfied with his scrutiny of the casket which he now held in his hand, the box which contained it having been thrown on the floor, when I saw the snake draw itself into a great coil and raise its head; then, just as his lips were opening to speak to me, the great reptile made a spring, and in an instant coiled itself tight round him, the tail whipping close like a steel wire. He gave a great cry and dropped the casket and the revolver immediately. Within a second or two I had them in my hands, and at the same moment the door opened and Don Juan d'Alta entered.
He rapped out a great Spanish oath, and a good many more words in the same language; then he turned to me.
"Who is this man?" he asked.
"That is one of the men," I answered at once, "who attacked the train. He entered this room a few minutes after you left me with the intention of robbing or murdering me."
"Then he seems to have got his deserts," replied my host, laughing. He came quite close to me and whispered in my ear, "The snake is quite harmless, but it will give him a fright and maybe break a rib or two if it squeezes hard."
The old man appeared to regard it as a huge joke, but kept a solemn face.
It appeared to be going beyond a joke to break his ribs, and I said so in a whisper.
"He deserves it," was the reply.
Meanwhile, the robber was becoming absolutely livid with fear, and began to supplicate Don Juan in Spanish.
Finding this of no avail, he turned to me.