Neither of the youths cared for the property in its present condition, and so the offer was declined. Frank asked if it was a genuine sea-serpent.
"As near as I've ever seen," was the reply; "but it isn't what you commonly understand by the sea-serpent. This is a sea-snake, and he is found only in the Indian Ocean and the waters connected with it. They are generally not far from land, but I've seen 'em one or two hundred miles away from shore, so it's pretty certain they spend most if not all their lives in the water."
"His bite is said to be poisonous," he continued, "and for that reason nobody wants to go near him. As soon as you've seen all you want to of him in his live state we'll kill him, and then you can look at him closely."
Just then Doctor Bronson came on deck, and after a brief survey of the reptile his curiosity was satisfied. Then the snake was killed by a blow from a handspike, and stretched on the deck.
SEA-SNAKE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN AND FOX-SHARK.
Frank measured the reptile, and found him a trifle over three feet in length. The head was quite broad and long, and the neck slender. The body was covered with fine scales, and the tail was formed by a gradual thinning of the body without any reduction of height. The Doctor said the tail was a close resemblance to that of the thrasher, or fox-shark, and he added that the latter had sometimes been mistaken for a sea-serpent.
While Frank was measuring the snake, Fred was looking over the side of the ship in the hope of seeing another. Suddenly he shouted,