“Well, so far we have had more trouble with white men than with natives,” said Captain Sparhawk, a remark of which they all felt the truth.
“It might have been monkeys chattering,” suggested Raynor, after a pause, during which they all listened for some sign of Salloo.
“And spaking of the divil,” exclaimed Muldoon, “look, there’s a monkey looking at us now. See those two black oys back in the threes?”
He pointed with his forefinger and they all gazed in that direction. It was Billy who first discovered the nature of Muldoon’s monkey.
“That’s not a monkey. It’s a big snake! Look out for yourselves!” he yelled.
“A python!” cried Captain Sparhawk.
He started back and the others did the same. But Muldoon tripped over a bow and fell sprawling headlong. As he scrambled to his feet a serpent’s form appeared above him as it swung from a big tree. The next instant there was a cry of horror from them all.
The serpent had made a sudden lunge and a cry broke from Muldoon as, before he could make a move to help himself, he was enwrapped in the spiral folds of the great python.
Captain Sparhawk seized his revolver from his belt and leveled the weapon. But the next moment he lowered it. To have fired would have been to imperil Muldoon’s life, and there might still be a chance of saving him.
The monstrous reptile that had the unfortunate boatswain in its grip was large, even judged by the standards of the immense pythons of the New Guinea and Borneo forests. It must have been fully thirty-five feet long.