Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

  MANY FEET OF UNPLEASANTRY.

  It was only while I was scraping out the last of the delicate cream fromthe inside of a huge cocoa-nut that I recalled the task we had to come,and a curious shiver ran through me as I glanced in the direction of theswamp where, nearly a mile away, the reptile lay.

  Ebo knew nothing about it as yet, and I hardly conceived how he would bemade to understand what we had seen.

  "Do you think he will be ready to help kill the serpent, uncle?" Isaid, after waiting for some time to see if he would say anything aboutthe attack.

  "I hardly know, Nat," he replied cheerily; "but we'll soon try him. Bythe way, use the cartridges with the largest kind of shot, for we mustmake up for this morning's mistakes. Here, Ebo, we've seen a snake," hesaid.

  "Ung-kul, Nat-mi-boi. Hal-lo, hal-lo hal-lo!" replied Ebo, laughingmerrily, and showing his white teeth.

  "We shall not get at his understanding like that," said my unclequietly; and he sat thinking for a moment.

  "Shall I try and draw a snake, uncle?" I said.

  "To be sure, Nat," he replied, laughing; "but where are paper, pencil,or chalk? Stop a minute--I have it."

  We generally carried a stout piece of cord with us, ready for anyemergency, and this cord, about ten yards long and a little thicker thanclothes-line, my uncle now untwisted from his waist, where he had wornit like a belt, and calling Ebo's attention to it he laid it out uponthe ground. Then holding one end he made it wave about and crawl andcurve and twine, ending by knotting it up in a heap and laying the endcarefully down as if it were a serpent asleep.

  Ebo watched the process attentively, at first seriously and then as ifdelighted, clapping his hands, dancing, and chattering away as iftelling my uncle how clever he was.

  "But that does not show him what we want, uncle," I said.

  "Well, then, you try."

  I took up the rope, made it undulate a little, and then as Ebo looked onI gave it a quick twist and wound it round him, pretending to make theend bite.

  He took to it directly, pretending that the reptile was crushing him,fighting his way free of the folds, picking up his club and attacking itin turn, beating the make-believe head with his club, and finallyindulging in a war-dance as he jumped round, dragging the imaginaryserpent after him, pretending all the while that it was very heavy,before stooping down to smell it, making a grimace, and then throwingdown the rope, which he pretended to bury in the sand.

  "It's all right, Nat. He understands, and has evidently encountered bigsnakes. Now, then, to show him our enemy, for he will fight."

  My uncle was right, for it was evident that Ebo quite understood us andmeant fighting, for, sticking his spear in the ground, he made signs tome that I should lend him my hunting-knife, which I at once did, andlaughing and chattering away he looked about him a little, and thenproceeded to cut down a sapling tree about as thick as his arm, fromwhose trunk he selected a piece a couple of feet in length and carefullytrimmed it into a formidable club with a smooth, small handle, while heleft the thick end jagged with the ugly places from which he had cut thebranches.

  He was not long in getting it into shape, and no sooner had he satisfiedhimself with his work than he returned my hunting-knife, making believethat he was horribly afraid lest it should cut off his head, and thenproceeded to attack an imaginary serpent that was trying to escapethrough the bushes. Now he was trying to strike it, now retreating, nowmaking blows at it upon the ground, now in the air, ending by droppinghis club and seizing the neck of the creature, which he pretended hadcoiled round him; now he was down upon one knee, now overthrown androlling over and over in a fierce struggle; but at last his acting cameto a conclusion by his striking the reptile's head against a tree,kicking off an imaginary coil from his leg, and strutting about proudlyto show how he had conquered.

  The most surprising part of the affair was that he did not seem to be inthe slightest degree exhausted by his efforts, but picked up his cluband began chattering to us, and pointing to the marsh as if asking us tocome on.

  "Well, Nat," said my uncle, "if he will only fight half as well as thatwhen we encounter the serpent, there ought to be nothing to fear. Weought to master the brute easily."

  "Would such a serpent be very strong, uncle?" I asked.

  "Wonderfully strong," he replied. "Their muscles are tremendouslypowerful. See what strength anything of similar form possesses; an eel,for instance."

  "Yes, uncle," I said thoughtfully, as I recalled how difficult I hadonce found it to hold a large one that I had caught. "Eels are verystrong."

  "Look here, Nat," said my uncle kindly, "I don't think we should run anyrisks in following up this serpent, for one good shot would disable it;but still it may be a little perilous, and it is not just to expect aboy of your age to face such a danger. You stop back at a distance, andI will send Ebo into the marsh to drive it out, while I try to get ashot at it."

  "Oh, no, uncle!" I said quickly.

  "Come now, my boy," he cried, clapping me on the shoulder. "You aregoing because you think I shall consider you cowardly if you staybehind. I tell you truly, Nat, I shall not."

  "I did feel something of that kind, uncle," I said warmly; "but that isnot all. I want to try and be brave and to master all my cowardlyfeelings, and this seems such a chance."

  He stood looking at me for a few minutes, and then said quietly:

  "Very well then, Nat, you shall come. But be careful with your gun, anddo not fire unless you have a clear shot. Don't hurry, and mind thatEbo is not near. As to the danger," he said, "there is very little.The worst thing that could happen would be that the serpent might seizeyou."

  I could not help a shudder.

  "Coil round you."

  The shudder felt now was the serpent wrapping me round.

  "And giving you a severe squeeze," continued my uncle. "It is a hundredto one against its teeth catching you in the face, and it is doubtfulwhether they would penetrate your clothes, and even if they did youwould suffer no worse than from a few thorns, for these constrictingreptiles are not poisonous."

  "It don't sound very nice, uncle," I said, feeling as if my face wasshowing white through the brown of the sunburns.

  "No, Nat, it does not," he said; "but now I have told you the worst Imay as well say something on the other side. Now the chances are thatthe brute will try its best to escape, and be shot in the act; and evensupposing that it did seize you, which is no more likely than that itshould seize Ebo or me, we should immediately get hold of it by the neckand have its head off before it knew where it was."

  "Yes, uncle, I know you would," I said with more confidence and astrange thrill of excitement running through me. "Let me come, please."

  "You shall, Nat," he replied; "and now I'll confess to you, my boy, thatI should have felt disappointed if you had held back. Come along, mylad, and I think we shall soon slay this modern dragon."

  All this time Ebo had been looking at us wonderingly; but no sooner didwe examine our guns and start forward, than he shouldered his club andwent before us towards the piece of marshy ground.

  I walked on by uncle's side with my gun ready, and all the time I kepton wondering what he would have said to me if he had known how nervous Ifelt.

  The thoughts of what we were approaching seemed to take all thebrightness and beauty out of the scene, which was as lovely as could be.Strange birds flew by us, glorious trees were on every side, some ofthem covered with flowers, while the brilliant greens of various shadesmade up for the want of colour in others. Where we were the land seemedto slope down into a little valley, while farther back there was a ridgeclothed to its summit with beautiful vegetation.

  But just then, as the poetical writer said, the trail of the serpent wasover it all, and I kept on seeing imaginary reptiles' heads reared abovethe beautiful waving canes and grasses, and fancied I detected therustling noise made by the creature's scales as they glided through thedry
stems.

  "Now," said my uncle, as we stood at last on the edge of the moistdepression, "we must contrive some plan of attack, Nat. We must not letthe enemy escape, or he will be scaring us all the time we stay."

  I thought it very kind of him to say _us_ when I know he meant _you_,but I did not say anything, only eagerly searched the thickly-spreadcanes and broad-leaved plants as far as I could see with my eyes, andthen I could not help thinking what a beautiful spot that marsh was inspite of the serpent, as two or three of the lovely pitta thrushesflitted amidst the bamboos, and half a dozen sun-birds darted about aconvolvulus-like plant, and kept flashing in the sunshine, which everynow and then seemed to make their feathers blaze.

  "Now, Nat," said my uncle, "I think this will be a good place for you,by this trickling rill; you see the place is roughly in the shape of aham, so you shall have the place of honour, my boy, by the knuckle-bone,while I and Ebo go round the fat sides and see if we can find the enemythere."

  "Do you think it will come this way, uncle?" I said.

  "Yes, Nat, just below you there, so be cool, and give it both yourbarrels as it goes by. You may depend upon one thing, and that is thatthe reptile, if it comes down here, will be trying hard to escape. Itwill not attack you."

  I hoped Uncle Dick was right, but could not feel sure, as I remained onthe side of the steep slope, at the bottom of which a tiny streamtrickled amongst a long patch of luxuriant canes through which Iexpected the serpent would try to escape to another part of the island.

  The next minute I was quite alone, for in obedience to my uncle's signs,and eagerly falling into his plans, Ebo ran off to get to the back ofthe little marsh, my uncle also disappearing quietly on my own side, butof course higher up.

  "Perhaps the serpent won't be here after all," I thought to myself as Istood there in the midst of the profound silence; and I could not keepback the hope within me that this might be the case.

  Everything was now very still, only that once from a distance came thehoarse cry of a bird of paradise and the scream of a parrot, butdirectly after I seemed to detect the peculiar noise made by a hornbill,one of which birds flapped across the little valley towards a clump oftrees.

  Not a sound came from beyond the cane swamp, and the slightest grasseshardly moved, but stood there with their feathery plumes bathed insunshine, while with strained eyes I counted the knots on everylight-brown and cream-coloured cane.

  I was watching for a wavy, undulating movement, which I felt sure mustfollow if the serpent was there and creeping about; but all wasperfectly still.

  "It must be farther up to the top of the marsh than he thinks," I saidto myself; and then I heard a cry which made my blood bound through myveins. But there was nothing the matter; it was only Ebo on the move,and I heard my uncle answer him. Then there was a beating noise as ifthe black was thrashing the canes with his club.

  Then my heart seemed to leap to my mouth, for there was a rustling inthe tall grasses, something seemed to be forcing its way through, andwith my gun at my shoulder I was ready to fire at the first glimpse ofthe scaly skin, but feathers appeared instead, and a couple of largewading-birds flew out.

  The beating went on, and bird after bird took flight from itslurking-place, some being very beautiful; but no serpent appeared, and Ibegan to feel more bold.

  Still the beating went on, with Ebo shouting from time to time and myuncle answering, till they could not have been more than fifty yardsabove me, when suddenly the black seemed to change his tone, shoutingexcitedly to my uncle.

  "They've found it," I said to myself; and in my excitement I forgot allabout my fears, and stood there with my eyes sweeping the cane growthand my ears strained to their utmost.

  All at once, and so close that the noise made me jump, I heard a shot,followed by a shout from Ebo, and a loud crashing noise, as if the caneswere being thrashed together with a big stick.

  Bang once more, and then perfect silence, but directly after thethrashing, beating noise began once more, and as I gazed excitedly inthat direction I heard my uncle's voice.

  "Look out, Nat," he cried. "It's coming your way."

  "Yolly-to, yolly-to!" cried Ebo; but I hardly heard him, for, rushingdown amongst the reeds and canes, writhing and bounding in the mostextraordinary way, beating, whipping the tall leaves, tying itself up inknots and then throwing itself out nearly straight, came what to meseemed to be a most monstrous serpent.

  I ought to have fired, but as the reptile came towards me I felt as if Imust run, and I turned and fled for a dozen yards before shame stoppedme, and I faced about.

  The creature was close at hand, writhing horribly, and leaving behind ita beaten track, as in a fit of desperation I raised my gun, took quickaim, and fired, leaped aside to get away from the smoke, and fired againat something close to me.

  The next moment I was knocked down, my gun flying out of my hand, andwhen I struggled up the serpent was gone.

  "Hurt, Nat?" cried my uncle, who came running up with Ebo, who began tofeel me all over.

  "I don't think I am, uncle," I said angrily; "but the thing gave me ahorrible bang."

  "Pick up your gun then and come along, lad. You hit the brute with bothbarrels, and I know I did once. Come along; load as you run."

  Ebo had already gone on in the serpent's track, for after I had beensent over by a blow as the reptile writhed so fiercely, it hadstraightened itself out, and gone straight down the little valleytowards more open ground.

  "Obe-ally-yolly!" shouted Ebo, and running after him I found that theserpent was gliding about in a rapid way amongst some tall trees, withthe black darting at it and hitting it with his club from time to time,but apparently without making any impression.

  "Stand back, Ebo," cried my uncle, waving the black away, and then, asEbo leaped back, preparing to fire. But he lowered his gun as I cameup. "No," he said, "you shall give him the _coup de grace_, Nat;" andfeeling no fear now I finished the loading of my gun and went in amongthe trees.

  "Fire at its head, Nat," cried my uncle; but it was not easy to see it,for the creature kept on twining about in a wonderfully rapid way; butat last I caught it as the head came from behind a tree trunk, fired,and the monster leaped from the ground and fell back in a long straightline, perfectly motionless, till Ebo darted in to give it a final thumpwith his club, when, to my astonishment, the blow seemed to electrifythe creature, which drew itself up into a series of waves, and kept onthrobbing as it were from end to end.

  "Shall I fire again, uncle?" I said excitedly.

  "No, Nat," he replied; "it would only be slaying the slain. Bravo, myboy! you did capitally."

  "But I ran away at first, uncle," I said sorrowfully. "I did not stopwhen the serpent first came out."

  "It was enough to make a Saint George run away from such a dragon, Nat,"he said laughing. "I could not have believed such a serpent existed inthese isles. Let's see how long he is."

  "Thirty feet, uncle," I cried excitedly.

  "Your eyes magnify this morning, Nat," he said merrily. "No, my boy,"he continued, after pacing along by the writhing creature's side; "thatserpent is barely fourteen feet long, but it is wonderfully thick forits size, and it proves that there must be animals here such as wouldform its prey."

  "Shall you have it skinned, uncle?" I asked.

  "Yes," he replied, handing his knife to Ebo, who readily understood whatwas wanted, and leaving him to his very nasty job, my uncle and I wentin search of birds of paradise.