But if he had gone there, he had gone by the river and would have to return in the same way. Bomba knew from the description of Hondura the general direction of the sunken city. It lay to the north. Why might not Bomba lurk about the river bank to the north and descry Japazy’s coming? Then he could boldly make himself known and get the interview that he had come so far to seek.
While he was immersed in these thoughts he became conscious of a slight rustling. It was so slight that none but a trained ear like that of Bomba’s would have detected it at all.
But he heard it and was about to leap from the bed to investigate, when he suddenly stiffened and lay as though carved from stone. For in a beam of moonlight that filtered through the window he had caught sight of what looked like a long black rope dragging itself over the sill of the door.
But the long black rope was alive!
Bomba knew what it was, knew even before he saw the glint of the evil eyes in the wicked head. It was a cooanaradi, the most deadly and terrible snake of the South American jungle, a species that sometimes grows to twelve feet in length, is noted for its ferocity and speed and its eagerness to attack man even when retreat is possible. And its bite means certain death.
A cold sweat broke over Bomba. He did not dare move a muscle.
A cooanaradi! Now Bomba knew what Solani had meant. Now he fathomed the meaning of that ominous phrase he had heard at the conference of the elders:
“He shall die by the creeping death!”
The captive reptile had been brought to the house and silently released. The Indians knew that it would find its way to Bomba’s room by the smell of the food that had twice been served in it. Once in the room with Bomba, the cooanaradi could be trusted to do the rest.
The infernal cunning of the scheme came to Bomba like a flash. If Japazy on his return should be vexed at not having spoken with Bomba, the natives could point out that they were not responsible—that the snake in some way had found its way into the house and killed the lad. That would clear them from blame.