“Well, I think I would, too,” Harry said, laughing. “I never felt such a desire to stampede in my life.”
“It was beastly,” affirmed Norah. She was a little pale. “It seemed about an hour before he poked his horrid head out and let Jim get a whack at it. But you didn’t lose much time, then, Jimmy!”
“Could he have bitten through the leg of your pants?” queried Wally, with interest.
“He couldn’t have sent all the venom through, I think,” Jim replied. “But enough would have gone to make a very sick little Harry.”
“It’d be an interesting experiment, no doubt,” said Harry. “But, if you don’t mind, I’ll leave it for someone else to try. I’d recommend a wooden-legged man as the experimenter. He’d feel much more at his ease while the snake was trying how much venom he could get through a pant leg!”
CHAPTER XI.
GOOD-BYE
“I was just a-goin’ to ring the big bell,” said Mrs. Brown.
She was standing on the front verandah as the children came up the lawn.
“Why, we’re not late, Brownie, are we?” asked Norah.
“Not very.” The old housekeeper smiled at her. “Only when your Pa’s away I allers feels a bit nervis about you—sech thoughtless young people, an’ all them animals and snakes about!”