"Risk your life in another way," said the doctor firmly.

"How?"

"Go and fetch in the kegs from where they are lying."

"Bah! If I am to die, it shall be a decent death--not stung by some horrible reptile. I'll risk losing my way going in search of water."

"I have already told you," said the doctor, "that the state of the horses will not allow of such a search being made till they have had such water as we have near. The only thing to be done is to contrive some way of getting the kegs here without risk."

"Exactly," said Bourne laconically; "but can you propose any way? For I must own that I cannot without horrible risk."

"At present no way," said the doctor sadly. "My only hope is in the horrible pests returning deeply underground at night; but I am sorry to say I know very little about the habits of these creatures. Do you, Wilton?"

"No," replied their companion bitterly. "Latin, Greek, and mathematics were taught me, rattlesnakes left out."

"But you," said the doctor, wincing at his companion's contemptuous manner, "you, Griggs, have seen a good deal of these reptiles in your time?"

"Tidy bit, sir. I saw one poor fellow die four hours after being bitten, and I've killed a few of the varmint; but I've seen more of 'em to-day than in all my life before."

"Then you cannot say whether it would be safe to risk an attempt to get the kegs away?"

"Well, I don't know about that," said Griggs, who noted that Chris was watching him intently. "You see, sir, I've been thinking pretty closely about that matter. We must have those kegs somehow, even if the one who gets 'em is bitten for his pains."

"Oh, but no such risk must be run," cried the doctor excitedly.

"It seems to me, sir, that it must. There's half-a-dozen of us, and one has to take his chance so that the other five may live."

"Our position is not so bad as that, Griggs," said the doctor warmly.

"I don't want to contradict, sir, but I about think it is. It's the sort of time like you read about at sea when they cast lots and one has to swim ash.o.r.e with a rope so as to get help. We must have that water, and Mr Wilton here says he won't risk the job of fetching the kegs, so it rests with five of us instead of six. Then you go a bit further and one says, here's three men and two boys, and we who are men can't hold back and let a boy go."

"Certainly not," said the doctor and Bourne, as if in one voice.

"Then we come down to three," continued Griggs, "and one of them is the boss of the expedition--the captain. He can't go, of course. So you see, Mr Bourne, it lies between us two."

"No, no," cried the doctor, "between us three."

"Us _two_, Mr Bourne," said the American, almost fiercely. "The doctor's out of it. Now, sir, you're a deal better man than I am in learning and proper living, and several other things that I've noticed since we've been neighbours, all through your having been a minister, I suppose?"

"I am but a man, Griggs, with the weaknesses of my nature."

"Exactly, sir," cried the American, totally misconstruing the speaker's meaning. "That's what I was aiming at--weaknesses of your nature.

Consequently I'm a much better man than you are for this job. So we want no casting lots, for I'm going to get those kegs out of that serpent's nest, if I die for it."

"No, no," cried the doctor fiercely. "I will not consent to your going.

We must try some other plan."

"There aren't no other plan, doctor."

"I think there is," cried Chris excitedly.

"Be silent, boy!" said the doctor.

"Yes, you're out, squire," said Griggs good-humouredly. "You've had your innings, and nearly got bitten. That's taste enough for you. Let me have a bit of the fun. But look here, doctor; when a man is bitten you get out a bottle and a little squirt thing, make a hole in one of the veins, and send in a lot of stuff, don't you?"

"Inject ammonia?" replied the doctor. "Yes; as a resource after lancing the wound and drawing out the poison, I should try that."

"Ammonia," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Yes, that's it--counteracts the poison, doesn't it?"

"Yes, and in some cases successfully, if it has been injected soon enough."

"Hah!" cried the American. "That's what I wanted to get at--soon enough. Now how would it be if to get quite soon enough you got out your bottle and gave me a dose of that stuff before I started?"

"What, injected into one of your veins?"

"Yes, sir. What do you say to that?"

"Impossible! I would not venture upon such an experiment except with a bitten subject."

"Sorry to hear that, sir," said Griggs thoughtfully. "Well, how would it be if I swallowed some?"

"I fear that it would be useless."

"Very well, sir; you know best, and I must do without it. My boots will pull up a bit higher, and I'll slip on another pair of trousers and my thick jersey over my jacket; then if one of the beauties bites, his teeth may not go through. There'll only be my hands and face."

"But what do you propose doing--running in, seizing the kegs, and trying to carry them out?"

"Nay, that makes the job too risky, sir. It would be just stirring the creatures up like bees in a hive, and they'd come raging out to fight.

I've got a better plan than that."

"Yes; what is it?" said the doctor, and Chris took a step nearer.

"Just this, sir. I'll take a couple of the hide-ropes, knot them together, and coil them up la.s.so fashion. After that I'm going to make a fire and heat one of these iron tent-pegs red-hot--one of those with the eye to them. Soon as it's well hot I'm going to bend it round into a hook, slip one end of the rope through the eye and make fast, and then I'm going to fish with that hook--throwing it in till it catches the keg chain that couples them together, and as soon as I've got a bite run out the line ready for a couple of us to haul the water right away clean from the snake's nest. What do you say to that?"

"I say it isn't fair," cried Chris excitedly. "You, Ned, you are a sneak to go and tell him."

"I didn't tell him," cried Ned indignantly.

"How did he know, then?" said Chris, growing angry. "I never said a word to any one else."

"What do you mean, Chris?" said the doctor sternly.

"Why, I invented that plan, father," cried Chris, "exactly as Griggs says; and I was going to propose it, only Griggs spoke first."

"I never knew you thought the same way, squire," said Griggs quietly.

"It was my invention," said Chris warmly.

"Very well, lad, you may have it," said Griggs. "It's yours, then."