He was an ugly-looking fellow, as seen by the flickering of our lamp, and had I been unarmed, I should have cared but little about meeting him in the dark; under the present circumstances I almost welcomed him as a friend, and would willingly have given him a few hundred pounds, if, when he left us, he could carry our shiny visitor along with him.
We watched both the man and the snake with an unflagging attention. The former, to my surprise, did not appear to observe the danger that he was in, and I could only account for it when I saw that his eyes were watching my movements, as though fearful that a well-directed shot was to punish him for his intrusion.
The fellow was well armed, I could perceive, for a pair of pistols was stuck in his belt, and a long, glittering knife reposed near them. Once I saw him make a movement with one of his hands towards his belt, as though anxious to try the chances of a shot in my direction, but he apparently altered his mind, and arose to his feet.
I hastily glanced towards the snake; the movement of its long tail ceased, and the reptile coiled itself up as though to escape observation, but the fire of its eyes burned as brightly as ever, and the long fangs were exhibited, as though determined to bite something before long.
Still the stranger did not appear to observe the dangerous position that he was in, for he seemed too much occupied with scrutinizing Fred and myself to attend to objects in his immediate vicinity. Our silence must have struck him with wonder, for after a while he spoke.
"Darn it!" he exclaimed, pettishly, "why don't some of you hail a feller? or are you all struck with a Spanish mildew?"
We returned no answer.
The snake appeared to be as much interested as ourselves, and hardly a motion of his black, glistening skin could I observe; but his eyes seemed to emit sparks of fire, so brilliantly did they blaze.
"You can't hail a convoy, hey?" demanded the stranger, in a contemptuous tone; "has my appearance put a stopper on your tongues, or what is the matter?"
We still remained silent, awaiting the finale of so singular a meeting. "You can talk glib enough when you get with old Brown, and other police fellows, after having shot down the best man in the mines—you know who I mean—and I tell you that he is a better man than either of you two lubbers, squatting there, with faces whiter than a ship's main royal! You know the feller I mean—Pete Burley; he never trembled when a feller hailed him."