"Now for your shot-gun, Harry," said Jack, as he called attention to the reptile; "give him both barrels!"
CHAPTER XV.
HOW THE SERPENT WAS CAPTURED—HOSPITABLE
RECEPTION—MYSTERY OF A DONKEY.
"Hold on," I said; "that will blow his head all to pieces; we want to save his skin with as little injury as possible."
"Well, how are you going to do it?" queried Jack.
"Lasso him and strangle him," I answered; "if necessary, we can put a rifle-ball through his head—that won't damage it much—but I'd rather save him whole and untouched."
Our after-rider and fore-looper had accompanied us, and I immediately called to them. They fastened their horses to a tree, and I shouted to the fore-looper to bring the coil of rope that hung at his saddle-bow.
I told him to make a noose at the end of the rope, and try to throw it over the snake's head. He was disinclined to go very near the serpent, but I gave the assurance that we would see that no injury came to him, as we stood ready with our guns. "We'll kill the fellow anyway," I said, "on general principles. We'll shoot him all to pieces rather than let him get away, and if he makes a spring at you we'll attend to him."
The fore-looper got the rope ready, and while he was doing so the after-rider, by my directions, cut a stick about ten feet long. I tied a piece of rag on the end of the stick, to attract the attention of the snake when the stick was held up. At the same time a similar stick, with prongs about two feet in length, was prepared, and the noose of the rope was fastened to it by tying it with a bit of twine against the stick at the fork, and also at the ends of the prongs. When all was ready the fore-looper held up the stick with the rag, just out of reach of the snake as he darted his head. It attracted his attention, and he made a dive for it, and then a second dive. As he made the second attempt to reach it, the stick with the noose of rope was held up, so that he darted his head directly through it.
I was holding on to the rope, and the instant that he fell into the trap I pulled away with all my energy. The rope tightened around the creature's neck, and we had him secure. We all lent a hand at pulling him, and it was hard pulling, you may be sure. He tightened his coils around the tree and refused to let go; I was not at all sorry that he did so, as this enabled us to get a firm grip around his neck. Not content with the one cord for strangling him, we put another about him, and drew that just as tightly as we had drawn the first. In a little, while his strength relaxed, his coils loosened, and he came to the ground.