He had heard nothing, but he had an uneasy consciousness that something was wrong.
He glanced over at Jim who was peacefully sleeping. Then he raised himself on his elbow and his glance swept the room. 212
Nothing seemed amiss in the lighted part, but in a darkened corner the shadow seemed to be heavier than usual. It was as though it were piled in a mass instead of being evenly distributed.
Then to Joe’s consternation the shadow moved, reached the edge of moonlight, rose higher and higher with a sickening swaying motion. From a hideous head two sparks of fire glowed balefully and Joe knew that he was in the presence of a giant cobra!
CHAPTER XXVI
IN THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS
Joe’s blood chilled with horror and his heart seemed for a moment to stop beating.
He did not dare to move and scarcely to breathe. He might have been a statue, so rigid was his attitude. He knew that the least movement would provoke an attack on the part of the deadly reptile.