"
He had already dropped down on one knee. The Marlin stock rested
against his cheek, and his eyes sighted along the barrel. Andy fairly
held his breath, his startled eyes glued on that swaying head of the
monster.
Then came the sharp report as Frank pulled the trigger. He instantly
jumped back, and by a rapid motion of his hand sent another cartridge
into the chamber, the clever mechanism of the gun proving that it was
built so as never to fail in an emergency.
Andy had accompanied his chum in that backward movement; but never for
an instant did he remove his eyes from the strange spectacle that was
taking place there in front of them both.
Undoubtedly the well aimed bullet had crashed through the fearful head
of the suspended anaconda. Instantly it released its many coils above,
and a tremendous length of writhing snake could be seen whipping over
the ground. Nothing in the way of small vegetation could stand in the
path of those powerful springy coils, as they shot this way and that.
"Oh! my!" gasped the astounded Andy, as he moved farther back, so as to
avoid any chance contact with the flying destructive force that was
leveling everything in the glade for twenty feet around. "Did you ever
see anything to equal that? Talk to me about your harvesting machines,
here's one that's got 'em all beat to a frazzle. Ain't he ever going to
give up the ghost, Frank? Guess these anacondas must have the nine lives
of a cat!"
"Well," remarked Frank, "you must have forgotten that among boys it's
said that a snake won't die till sundown.
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