"Because it seems to me that he must be going mad."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

"I SAID IT WAS A SNAKE."

"Norman, Rifle, Tim! Help! Help!"

"What's the matter?" cried Tim. "Here, boys, quick! There's something wrong at the house."

The three boys, who had heard the faint cries from a distance, set off at a run.

"It must be aunt. The girls and mamma are down by the waterfall," cried Rifle.

"Yes; it's aunt sure enough," said Norman, as they saw the old lady hurrying toward them.

"It must be the blacks come at last," cried Tim; "and oh, boys, we have not got our guns!"

"Who's going about always tied to a gun?" cried Norman, angrily.--"Here, aunt, what's the matter?"

"Oh, my boy, my boy!" cried the old lady, throwing her arms about the lad's neck, as he reached her first, and with so much energy that she would have upset him, and they would have fallen together had not his brother and cousin been close behind ready to give him their support.

"But don't cling to me, auntie," cried Norman, excitedly. "If you can't stand, lie down. Where are they?"

"In--in the kitchen, my dear," she panted; and then burst into a hysterical fit of sobbing, which came to an end as the boys hurriedly seated her beneath a tree.

"How many are there, aunt?" whispered Rifle, excitedly.

"Only one, my boys."

"One?" cried Norman. "I say, boys, we aren't afraid of one, are we?"

"No," cried the others.

"But I wish old Tam o' Shanter was here with his nulla-nulla."

"Never mind," said Norman, flushing up as he felt that, as eldest, he must take the lead. "There is no chance to get the guns. We'll run round by the wood-house; there are two choppers and an axe there. He won't show fight if he sees we're armed."

"I don't know," said Rifle, grimly. "He must be a fierce one, or he wouldn't have ventured alone."

"Perhaps there are a dozen of 'em behind, hiding," said Tim. "Shall we cooey?"

"No," said Norman, stoutly. "Not till we've seen. He may be only begging after all. Come on."

"Stop! Stop! Don't leave me here," cried Aunt Georgie excitedly, as the boys began to move off.

"But we can't take you, aunt," said Rifle, soothingly, "with a lot of blacks about."

"Blacks? Where?" cried Aunt Georgie rising.

"Where you said: in the kitchen."

"Stuff and nonsense, boy! I never said anything of the kind. I said it was a snake."

"Snake!" cried the boys in chorus.

"You didn't say anything of the kind, aunt," cried Norman, indignantly.

"Don't contradict, sir. I declare I never said a word about blacks. I went into the kitchen and heard a rustling sound between me and the door, and I thought it was one of the fowls come in to beg for a bit of bread, when I looked round, and there on the floor was a monstrous great serpent, twining and twisting about, and if I hadn't dashed out of the place it would have seized me."

"A big one, aunt?"

"A monster, my dear. But what are you going to do?"

Norman laughed, and looked at the others.

"Oh, I think we shall manage to turn him out, aunt," he said.

"But be careful, my dears, and don't run into danger."

"Oh no; we'll get the guns and talk to him through the window."

"I am glad it wasn't mamma," said Rifle.

"Or the girls," cried his cousin.

"Then I'm of no consequence at all," said the old lady, wiping her forehead and looking hurt. "Ah, well, I suppose I'm old and not of much importance now. There, go and kill the dreadful thing before it bites anybody."

They were not above eighty or ninety yards from the house, and they hurried on, closely followed by Aunt Georgie, meaning to go in by the princ.i.p.al door, when all at once a black figure, having a very magpieish look from the fact of his being clothed in an exceedingly short pair of white drawers, came from behind the house, and seeing them, came forward.

"Hi! Shanter!" shouted Norman, "look out. Big snake."

The black's hand went behind him instantly, and reappeared armed with his nulla-nulla as he looked sharply round for the reptile.

"No, no; in the house," cried Norman, leading the way toward the open door so as to get the guns.

Shanter bounded before him, flourishing his club, all excitement on the instant.

"No, no; let me come first," said the boy, in a low husky voice. "I want to get the guns. The snake's in the kitchen."

The black stopped short, and stood with his club hanging down, staring at the boy. Then a grin overspread his face as Norman reappeared with two loaded guns, one of which he handed to Tim, Rifle having meanwhile armed himself with an axe, from where it hung just inside the door.

"Now then, come on round to the back. It's a big one."

But Shanter laughed and shook his head.

"Ah, plenty game," he said. "Baal play game."