Then another idea struck Charlie. "If I can drive away the snake," he thought, "it will not be so bad for Tom, if he must fall." He picked up some small pieces of stone, and going back a little distance, where there would be no chance of his hitting Tom, he began to hurl the stones at the sleeping snake. One of them soon struck it, and in an instant the animal was aroused; but instead of uncoiling himself and crawling away, he thrust up his head and glared around, at the same instant raising his tail and rattling violently.
"Now I have done it," thought poor Charlie. "Tom might have got away from the snake when it was asleep, but now it is all ready for him." Charlie was in despair, but stepping back to a point just above Tom, and looking down upon his friend, another idea entered his mind.
"Tom," he cried, "can you hold on for half a minute longer?"
"Yes," said Tom, rather faintly.
"All right, then," cried Charlie. "Hold on tight, and shut your eyes."
Charlie turned around, and looking about him, picked up a piece of rock as big as his head. Taking this in both hands he stepped across the chasm, and stood astride of it, not exactly over Tom, but a little in front of him. Charlie had noticed that the snake had moved a little, and its head was now so far forward that a large stone might possibly be dropped upon it without hitting Tom. To do so, however, the stone must almost graze Tom's nose. But there was no time to be lost, and this was the only plan Charlie could think of to save his friend.
"Keep your eyes shut," he cried, "and don't move."
Down dropped the stone, and the wind of it as it passed Tom's face made him jerk back his head.
"Did it touch you?" cried Charlie, excitedly.
"Nothing touched me," answered Tom.