“Yes?” Penny prodded eagerly.
But the old guide did not complete the thought. The boat now was drifting in a narrow run where boughs hung low over the water, causing the three occupants to lean far forward to avoid being brushed.
A tiny scream came from Louise’s lips. The bow of the skiff where she sat had poked its nose against a protruding tree root.
Within inches of her face, staring unblinkingly into her eyes, was a large, ugly reptile!
CHAPTER
15
BEYOND THE BOARDWALK
“Steady! Steady!” warned the old swamper as Louise shrank back in horror from the big snake. “Don’t move or he’ll strike!”
Digging his paddle into the slimy bed of the narrow run, Trapper Joe inched the skiff backwards. Should the boat jar against the tree root, he knew the snake almost certainly would strike its poisonous fangs into Louise’s face.
“Hurry!” she whispered.
Slowly the skiff moved backwards through the still water, until at last it lay at a safe distance. The snake had not moved from its resting place.
Now that the danger was over, Louise collapsed with a shudder.