Jungle and Stream: or, The Adventures of Two Boys in Siam. Fenn George Manville

look out!"

      As Phra spoke there was a violent eddying in the water where the end of the line must have been.

      "He's coming up," cried Harry, raising his gun to his shoulder. "Hold on, all of you. Ah, here he is. Fire!"

      The two guns went off almost like one, for all at once the hideous knotted head of a crocodile appeared at the surface and came rapidly towards the stage slackening the rope and making the two men quit their hold and, in spite of an angry cry from Sree, tumble one over the other ashore.

      The hunter behaved bravely enough, but the moment had arrived when he felt that discretion was the better part of valour – when it was evident that the hideous reptile, enraged at finding such a finale to the delicious repast of musky boa, neatly skinned apparently for its benefit, but followed by a horrible tearing sensation in its throat and the pressure of a long rope which could not be swallowed nor bitten through because it persisted in getting between the teeth, had risen to the surface, caught sight of a man dragging at the rope, had aimed straight at him as being the cause of all the pain, and was about to rush at and sweep him from the platform.

      Under the circumstances Sree was about to let go and follow the example of his men, but the firing checked the crocodile's charge, sending it rushing down below with a tremendous wallow and splash on the surface with its tail; the rope ran out again, and Sree proudly held on, congratulating himself on not having let go, but repenting directly after, for there was a jerk which seemed as if it would drag his arms out of their sockets, and if he had not let the rope slide he must have gone head first into the river.

      Then came another drag at the post which supported the roof, and once more everything quivered, but not so violently as before, while Sree tightened his hold again and roared to his men to come.

      The movement of the rope now showed that the great reptile was swimming here and there deep down in the muddy water, while the two lads with hands trembling from excitement reloaded as quickly as they could; and as the two men resumed their places on the stage and took hold of the rope, the sharp clicking of gun-locks told that a couple more charges were ready.

      "Think we can kill him, Sree?" cried Harry.

      "I daren't say, Sahib. The rope may break by his teeth at any time, but we'll drag and make him come up again, so that you can have another shot. What are you loaded with?"

      "Big slugs," cried Phra.

      "Ought to be bullets," said the hunter.

      "But we are very near, Sree," chimed in Harry.

      "Yes, Sahib; but an old crocodile like this is so horny. Never mind; you must try. Say when you're ready."

      "Now," said Phra hoarsely, and Harry stood with his lips pinched and his forehead a maze of wrinkles.

      Sree turned fiercely to his two followers, who had hold of the rope close behind him.

      "If you let go this time, I'll knock you both in," he cried, "and then you'll be killed and eaten, and come to life again as crocodiles."

      The men shivered at this to them horrible threat, and Harry and Phra exchanged glances.

      Meanwhile Sree was, so to speak, just feeling the crocodile's head, and as no extra strain was put upon the rope the reptile kept on swimming to and fro; but the moment the rope was tightened and the three men gave a steady drag there was a violent eddying of the water, the rope slackened, and the huge head and shoulders shot out as if the brute meant to reach its enemies in one bound.

      But once more the reports of the two guns came nearly together, and the gaping jaws of the reptile snapped together as the head disappeared.

      "Load again," cried Harry excitedly. "Let him run, Sree."

      The hunter nodded, and as soon as the guns were loaded the drag and reappearance of the beast took place, another couple of shots were received, and this time the reptile whirled itself round and making good use of its favourite weapon struck at the occupants of the landing-stage, its tail sweeping along with terrific force.

      But the brute had miscalculated the distance. Six feet nearer, and the two lads would have been swept into the river. As it was they felt the wind of the passing tail and heard the loud humming whish as it passed.

      "That was near, Phra," said Harry.

      "Yes; the hideous wretch! the beast!" hissed the Siamese lad through his teeth, and followed it up with another loud, hollow, hissing noise from the barrel of his gun, as he rammed a wad down upon the powder. "Let's go on and kill him. Such a wretch ought not to live and destroy everything he can reach along the banks. Oh, how I wish we had some big bullets! I'd half fill the gun."

      "Then I'm glad you have none, old chap," said Harry.

      "Why?" cried Phra, pausing, ramrod in hand.

      "You ought to know by now. Burst the gun."

      "Nearly ready, Sahib?" cried Sree. "He's pulling harder, and I'm afraid of the rope breaking."

      "Not quite," said Phra, but a minute later, "Let's stand a bit farther back, Hal. Now, Sree, pull."

      There was another steady draw upon the rope, which ran out now quite at right angles with the stage, and in an instant it was responded to by a tremendous rush. The water rose in a wave, then parted, as the open jaws of the crocodile appeared, coming right at them. The next moment the landing-stage quivered and rocked, for it was as if a tree-trunk had struck it right at the edge. Then there was a splash which sent the water flying all over the edifice, and all was still.

      The reptile's charge had its effect, for as it fell back into the water the three Siamese rose to their feet from where they had flung themselves off from the staging in among the flowering bushes, and Harry and Phra sat up on the path which led into the garden.

      "Oh, what a beast!" cried Phra, rubbing himself. "I hate him, oh, ten thousand times worse now!"

      "Lucky we didn't shoot one another," said Harry. "I say, see how I've scratched the stock of father's gun."

      "Why didn't you fire, Sahib?" said Sree ruefully, as he began picking thorns out of his left arm.

      "Come, I like that!" cried Harry. "Why didn't you three hold on by the rope? I say, Sree, this is a one-er."

      "You see, he doesn't like that hook, Sahib," said the hunter.

      "But he has got to like it," said Harry. "There, we're not beaten.

      Come on again. We must kill him now."

      "I'm afraid, Sahib, he is one of those old savage crocodiles that are enchanted, and can't be killed."

      "Oh, are you?" said Harry drily; "then I'm not. And if that rope doesn't break, we're going to kill him for being so impudent, aren't we, Phra?"

      "Yes," said the lad, with his dark eyes flashing. "We will kill him now if it takes pounds of powder."

      "And hundredweights of shot," said Harry. "Now then, look at the primings, and then stir the wretch up again, Sree, before he jigs that post down."

      The jerking of the post was transferred to the arms of the men as the two lads stepped back to the bamboo floor, ready once more, and laughingly now, as they trusted to their own activity to escape the reptile's jaws. The men began to haul at the rope, with the same result as before.

      But the boys were more ready this time. They watched the approaching wave, and as the open jaws of the enemy appeared, they fired right in between them, as if moved by the same impulse; and this time the creature dropped back at once.

      "That was a good one, Sree," cried Harry, beginning to reload.

      "It was great and wonderful, Sahib. How glad I am to see you both trying to slay the old murderer! A few more shots like that, and he will never again drag little children and poor weak women down to his holes in the muddy banks. It is a grand thing to do; but the bullets should be heavier than those."

      "Never mind," said Phra; "we'll make these do."

      Once more the order was given to pull, and the rope was tightened as it descended just in the same place, showing that the reptile was lying still in the same spot – probably a hole in