The Gold Hunter's Adventures by William H. Thomes

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Thinking that the noise of some brawler had disturbed him, I again lay
down; but as I did so the dog uttered another low growl, and crept near
my face, as though fearful of something that was invisible to my eyes.
I patted his neck, and to my surprise I found he was trembling as I had
never known him before. He crouched close to me, and seemed almost
inclined to desert me; but I soon calmed him, although, for the life of
me, I could not understand why he should appear so frightened.

For a few minutes I sat upright and listened attentively, but not a
sound rewarded me for my patience. I heard Fred breathing heavily a few
feet from me, but I disliked to awaken him, as I knew that he was very
tired when he went to sleep, and as yet I had seen nothing that
warranted me in disturbing him. I was just about to speak to the dog in
an angry tone, when he suddenly uttered a sharp yelp, and I heard a
slight rustling within a few feet of me.

It was a peculiar sound, and startled me. It was not like the heavy or
light tread of man, but it seemed as though some substance was being
drawn across the floor at a cautious rate. Again it stopped, and all was
still; I held the dog firmly by the collar, but he trembled so violently
that I began to partake of his fear, and no longer delayed in awakening
Fred.

I reached over, and placed my hand upon my comrade's face, and the touch
awoke him instantly.

"Hist!" I whispered; "don't speak above your breath for your life. There
is some person in the room!"

I could feel my friend place his hand upon his trusty revolver, and I
knew that he was prepared for action. I shifted my position so that I
could got beside him, and then, armed in a similar manner, I awaited
further developments.

"What has disturbed you?" he asked, in a whisper that would have been
inarticulate two paces from us.

"I can't imagine. Even Rover has taken fright; and for the first time;
see how he trembles," I responded.

"Get your matches all ready, and when we wish a light we will have one
without delay. Hark! What was that?"

We both listened attentively. Not ten feet from us, we could hear a
movement that now sounded as though a man was crawling upon his stomach.
Carefully he appeared to work his way along, stopping every few seconds,
as though uncertain whether to advance or recede; and it seemed as
though we could hear our night visitor breathe during his pauses.

We did not wish to use our pistols, for we did not know but that the
former proprietor of the store was in the habit of giving lodgings to
miners, who were not acquainted with the change of ownership; but we
made up our minds that we would guard against such interruption of our
slumbers in future.

"We had better ask what he wants," whispered Fred, "and then we will
light a candle and examine him."

"Go ahead; your lungs are the strongest," I answered, in an audible
tone.

At the sound of my voice, the slow, slimy movement upon the floor
ceased, and the visitor appeared to be listening.

"Who goes there?" demanded Fred, with a voice slightly tremulous. It
appeared to me that I could hear a slight breathing near, but I was not
sure. The slow moving or creeping across the floor had ceased; we
listened for a repetition of it.

"Are you a friend or foe?" Fred asked.

There was no response for a moment, and then the slow, cautious movement
began again.

"Strike a light," whispered Fred, "and let us see what this means."

Among the effects which we had found in the store was a large lamp for
burning alcohol; this Fred had cleansed and trimmed the day before, and
filled with spirits of turpentine, for the purpose of using it in
cooking. I knew where it was placed; so I crept carefully along on my
hands and knees, and suddenly lighted it with a lucifer. As the huge
wick took fire, I hastily glanced over my shoulder, for fear that an
assassin should strike a blow before I could be on my guard.

A startling yell from Fred caused me to spring to my feet, and as I did
so, a long, dark object flashed before my eyes, and narrowly missed my
head. The next instant my yell of terror was added to Fred's, for in the
middle of the floor, with waving tail, and eyes that blazed like coals
of fire, was a monstrous snake of a jet black hue; the huge mouth of the
reptile was thrown open to its widest extent, and was armed with fangs
an inch in length!

For a short time after my cry of terror, I remained silent, not daring
to move, for fear that the reptile, who appeared to be debating which of
us to attack first, should make a spring, and encircle me in his
dreadful folds, and crush out my life before I could utter a prayer.

Even to this day I can remember how I trembled, and how weak my knee
joints appeared to grow; and even now, I fancy I can see the slimy,
gleaming monster examine first me, and then the flickering flame of the
lamp, as though only astonishment at the illumination kept him at a
distance.

I did not for a moment lose sight of that powerful, waving tail, or the
glowing eyes, although I thought I would give all the world to be miles
from the spot.

I had heard of the monstrous size that black snakes acquired in
Australia, but I had regarded the stories as travellers' yarns, and only
got up to intimidate new comers. Now that I was satisfied of the truth
of the accounts, I could have wished that an earthquake would swallow
the reptile, so that it but left me secure.

I glanced hastily towards Fred. He was seated on his bed, as startled
and surprised as myself, but I thought that I saw his hand move slowly
towards his revolver, and I prayed that his eyes would not deceive him
when he fired.

Rover had disappeared, but I could hear his loud bay outside of the
building, and I hoped that it would attract attention, and that
assistance would reach us before it was too late.

Still that fearful and muscular tail waved and played in the air, as
though undecided where to strike.

For a moment I removed my eyes from the bright orbs before me, and to my
surprise, I saw a quantity of old canvas, stowed in a corner where we
had left it the day before, begin to move. The snake was apparently
attracted by the same object, and moved its body slightly to get a
better view. I thought, with horror, that perhaps it was the mate of
the reptile, and that Fred and myself would furnish a meal for each.
Still, I watched the canvas and the movements of the snake closely. The
former was gradually and carefully unrolled, and then, to my surprise, I
saw the head of a man thrust cautiously out, as though to discover the
cause of the recent noise, and why a lamp was burning at that hour of
the night.

The snake saw the man's head as quick as myself--at least, I judged that
it did by its motions; for the huge mouth expanded wider than before,
and a long, forked tongue darted back and forth, as though longing for
something to gorge. The tail of the reptile also waved more gently, as
though uncertain where to strike.

To my surprise, the man who was concealed in the canvas appeared to pay
no attention to our hideous visitor, for he pushed aside the cloth that
covered him, and seemed desirous of either investigating the contents of
our money-pouches, or else making his escape from the building.

He was an ugly-looking fellow, as seen by the flickering of our lamp,
and had I been unarmed, I should have cared but little about meeting him
in the dark; under the present circumstances I almost welcomed him as a
friend, and would willingly have given him a few hundred pounds, if,
when he left us, he could carry our shiny visitor along with him.

We watched both the man and the snake with an unflagging attention. The
former, to my surprise, did not appear to observe the danger that he was
in, and I could only account for it when I saw that his eyes were
watching my movements, as though fearful that a well-directed shot was
to punish him for his intrusion.

The fellow was well armed, I could perceive, for a pair of pistols was
stuck in his belt, and a long, glittering knife reposed near them. Once
I saw him make a movement with one of his hands towards his belt, as
though anxious to try the chances of a shot in my direction, but he
apparently altered his mind, and arose to his feet.

I hastily glanced towards the snake; the movement of its long tail
ceased, and the reptile coiled itself up as though to escape
observation, but the fire of its eyes burned as brightly as ever, and
the long fangs were exhibited, as though determined to bite something
before long.

Still the stranger did not appear to observe the dangerous position that
he was in, for he seemed too much occupied with scrutinizing Fred and
myself to attend to objects in his immediate vicinity. Our silence must
have struck him with wonder, for after a while he spoke.

"Darn it!" he exclaimed, pettishly, "why don't some of you hail a
feller? or are you all struck with a Spanish mildew?"

We returned no answer.

The snake appeared to be as much interested as ourselves, and hardly a
motion of his black, glistening skin could I observe; but his eyes
seemed to emit sparks of fire, so brilliantly did they blaze.

"You can't hail a convoy, hey?" demanded the stranger, in a contemptuous
tone; "has my appearance put a stopper on your tongues, or what is the
matter?"

We still remained silent, awaiting the finale of so singular a meeting.
"You can talk glib enough when you get with old Brown, and other police
fellows, after having shot down the best man in the mines--you know who
I mean--and I tell you that he is a better man than either of you two
lubbers, squatting there, with faces whiter than a ship's main royal!
You know the feller I mean--Pete Burley; he never trembled when a feller
hailed him."

We let the ruffian--for his last words convinced me: that he had visited
us for no good--go on.

The snake had, inch by inch, moved its location, and was partly
concealed from the sight of Burley's friend by a barrel. The light,
also, was not shed over that portion of the floor, and while every
movement of the monster was distinctly revealed to me, the ruffian could
not, without stepping towards us, observe it.

"I s'pose you fellers want to know why I am here," the ruffian asked,
with a sneer.

I tried to reply, but I could not; my eyes were fastened upon the
glowing orbs of the snake, and it seemed to me that if I spoke, he would
spring towards me.

"I'll tell ye why I am here, and how I got in. I want to revenge the
injury which you have inflicted upon my friend Burley, and I also want
to get a few pounds to pay me for the trouble I have taken in his
behalf; so just heave ahead and shell out the shiners, and then we'll
spin a yarn 'bout other affairs. Interest first, and then satisfaction."

I heard every word that the villain uttered, but if he had drawn a
pistol, and offered to have shot me where I stood, I could not have
moved a hand in my behalf. I struggled to overcome the feeling, but it
was in vain; the glistening, restless eyes of the snake were on me, and
seemed to dance with triumph at their thraldom. The tail was motionless
now, as though awaking the result of the conversation.

I wondered that Fred did not come to my relief; but the longer that I
looked, the less I thought on the subject, and after a while I began to
really enjoy my situation, and to feel surprised that I had considered
the monster so terrible. I felt a strange desire to move forward, and
fondle the snake, and the eyes that at first seemed so hideous now
looked like glittering stones of inestimable value. The black, slimy
skin appeared to be of burnished gold, and I thought that if I could but
touch it, I should be enriched forever.

Even in my stupor I could hear the loud barking of Rover, on the outside
of the building, and it passed through my mind, like an electric shock,
that he was uttering a howl for my death. But, like a flash, the bitter
feeling that I experienced passed away, and I no longer regretted that I
was to die; in fact, I felt rather rejoiced that I was so soon to end my
troubles, and it appeared that I had got but a step to move forward, and
I should be surrounded with all the pleasures of paradise.

"Why, what is the matter with you two lubbers?" I heard the ruffian ask,
the few minutes' silence that had prevailed having startled him; "darn
yer eyes, can't one of ye speak, and say that you'll come down with the
shiners?"

I could hear the loud breathing of Fred, and I thought that he was
trying to answer, but if he did attempt it, the effort was a failure,
and the words died in his throat unuttered.

I do not know how long I stood thus silent and motionless, but it seemed
to me hours; and each moment I could feel that I was growing weaker and
weaker, and more strongly urged forward in the direction of the snake.
And then the tail of the monster, which had lain dormant for some time,
began to exhibit signs of life, and to form graceful curves in the air,
as though enjoying a mighty triumph, or beckoning other monsters to come
forward and witness the result of an interview with the lords of the
creation.

"Blast your picturs!" exclaimed the ruffian, and I heard him move as
though he intended to come towards us.

I could not withdraw my gaze from the snake, and if I should live a
thousand years, I never could hope to witness such a gorgeous display as
the eyes of the monster exhibited when the sound of footsteps disturbed
the silence of the room. Showers of gold, silver, and precious stones,
all mingled together, and exhibited by gas light, would be but a poor
comparison, when contrasted with the splendor that I thought I observed
in the serpent's eyes.

I heard the ruffian take one, two, three steps towards us, and I heard
him utter an oath at our apparent indifference, and then, like a flash
of lightning, I saw the tail of the snake gleam through the air, and
encircle, coil after coil, the stout body of the midnight robber!

I heard a sudden exclamation of horror; a fearful imprecation escaped
the lips of the ruffian, and then the wonderful spell, which had bound
me for I know not how long, was dissipated, and weak and trembling, I
staggered back, and sank upon the floor, too much exhausted to escape
from the building, and too much overcome with horror, at the struggle
going on before me, to offer aid.

CHAPTER XL.

DEATH OF THE BURGLAR BY THE SNAKE.

The struggle that was going on in our room did not prevent me--as I lay
upon the floor, too exhausted and faint to assist the ruffian who called
himself Pete Hurley's friend--from glancing towards Fred, to see how he
fared. He appeared to be in the same condition as myself, and was lying
upon his side, almost motionless; but his eyes were riveted upon the
horrible contortions of the snake, as the ruffian, a powerfully built
man, strove to tear off the coils which bound him with fetters that were
like steel.

The man's cries and oaths were fierce, but uttered in a gasping tone, as
though his very life was being pressed out. Three coils were around him,
and each moment I thought that I could see them gradually tighten, but
still the resistance of the victim was none the less powerful.

He grasped the snake around the body, and strove, with his powerful
hands, to make it yield its death hug; but his efforts seemed to have
no more effect than if he had clinched a bar of iron, or a young
sapling. Around they went--the snake with his head upon the floor, his
eyes flashing fire, and his mouth expanding, and tongue darting back and
forth, and seeming to enjoy the night's adventure as one that was
unexpected as well as gratifying.

I saw the ruffian make desperate attempts to reach his knife, which was
in his belt; but the coils around him prevented, and in their extremity
they turned and staggered around the store, upsetting barrels and boxes,
yet all the time I saw that the reptile had the advantage, and could,
with a slight exertion of strength, drive his antagonist whither he
pleased.

I was as much fascinated with the fight, as I had been with the eyes of
the snake, and did not move hand or foot to assist the robber. Even if a
shot would have put an end to the combat, I did not dare to fire it, for
fear of killing the man; and as for approaching to use our knives, the
bare thought was enough to cause a shudder, for the snake managed to
keep his head towards us, and with expanded mouth and glistening lungs,
appeared to warn us that the fight was a fair one, and that he would
brook no interference.

At length I saw the struggling wretch grasp the tail of the reptile with
one hand, and seek to unwind the folds that bound him. As well might he
have attempted to bend or loosen bars of iron, for with a slight effort
the snake freed that portion of his body, and raising his head, hissed,
as though with scorn, at the effort of the poor mortal.

The ruffian was not daunted, although a fierce imprecation escaped his
lips, as the animal raised his head, and seemed disposed to accomplish
the destruction of his antagonist without further delay.

Again did he struggle to get at his knife, and this time, owing to a
slight relaxation of the coils around his body, he was successful. I saw
the glittering steel flourished in the air, and I saw by the sudden
contraction of the serpent's folds, that it was aware that a battle of
life and death was now to take place between them.

"Die, d---- you--die," yelled the man, cutting with his knife at various
parts of the snake's body.

I saw the hot blood spirt from the wounds, and cover the floor, and I
saw that the snake's eyes grew more brilliant than ever, and that he was
gradually bringing his head on a level with the face of his antagonist,
as though to bite and disfigure his countenance.

Again the keen knife descended, and this time struck deep, for the
wounded animal, with a convulsive spring, overturned the ruffian, and
together they rolled upon the floor.

I could hear the hard breathing of the man, and I could tell every time
that his knife struck home, by a peculiar hiss that escaped the snake.
It was like the sudden escape of steam.

"We must now lend some assistance to the poor wretch," said Fred,
suddenly starting to his feet, knife in hand. "Do you hold the light, so
that I can see where to strike."

"Help me or I die," yelled the ruffian, whose strength began to fail;
and he called none too soon, for in spite of his desperate efforts with
his knife, the monster had struck one blow, with his fangs, upon his
face, and was about to repeat it, as we drew near, light in hand.

The snake raised its head, and shook it menacingly, us we approached.
The huge mouth opened, and the quivering tongue darted back and forth,
as though warning us not to interfere with what did not concern us; but
in spite of its threatening attitude, Fred directed a blow at its head,
and the keen steel made a large wound near the reptile's neck.

The hot blood gushed from the wound in torrents; a few drops fell upon
my hand, and burned the flesh as though seared with a heated iron.

I saw that the folds of the serpent were gradually relaxing, as though
tired of the unequal contest, and the sight gave us renewed courage.
Again and again did Fred flesh his steel, and each blow that was struck
told upon the life of the monster, and at last, with a convulsive
shudder, the tail was uncoiled, straightened out, and with a long-drawn
sigh the snake expired.

We did not delay a moment, but went to the assistance of the wounded
man. He was covered with blood and slime, and a frightful wound was upon
his face, where the fangs of the reptile had struck. He was breathing,
but very faintly; so we lost not a moment in placing to his mouth a cup
of wine that we fortunately had saved from our supply obtained at
Melbourne. The liquor seemed to revive him, for he opened his eyes, and
made a desperate effort to speak.

"How fares it with you?" asked Fred.

"The d----d snake has made a finish of me, I believe," he gasped,
placing one hand upon his side, as though the effort to speak had caused
excruciating pain in that region of his body. "Blast his pictur, how he
hugged me!"

"Take another drink of wine," returned Fred, "and then rest until
morning, and we will see what can be done for you."

"By morning, mates, I shall be at rest--never fear. A man can't have his
heart squeezed into his mouth, and hope to live. But I'm darn glad that
I killed the black scoundrel. He'll never _purcel_ another sailor with
his bloody tail."

"Let us make an examination, and see how much you are wounded," I said,
proceeding to strip off his shirt.

"Avast there, shipmate," he cried, in a more feeble voice; "I'm going
fast, so don't disturb me."

"But there may be hope--we will run for a physician."

"Of what use would the old sawbones be? Haven't I already been tortured
enough? Besides, I've no money to pay for a visit."

"We will attend to that part of the duty," rejoined Fred.

"You will?" demanded the wounded man, in astonishment.

"To be sure."

"Well, all I've got to say is, I'm sorry that I attempted to revenge old
Burley's wrongs, and if I could live he might fight for himself--I
wouldn't."

"Did the man you call Burley hire you to redress his fancied wrongs?"
Fred asked.

"He told me that you both had money, and that if I was a mind to, I
could make myself rich, and pay you up for his wound in the hip."

"I'm going," he gasped, at length, "and I feel sorry for my past crimes.
Do you believe that there is a hell where sinners burn forever and
ever? Forgive me. I should have murdered you both had it not been for
that d----d snake. I crept under the canvas while you were at supper,
and while waiting for you to retire, I fell asleep. I am glad that I
didn't kill--. D---- the sn----"

There was a gasping in the man's throat, and with a slight struggle his
breath departed, and his soul flew up to God to be judged, and treated
according to the crimes which were recorded against his name.

"What's to be done?" asked Fred, when he found that the robber's heart
ceased to beat.

"We can do nothing until daylight. Let us go back to bed and try and
sleep."

"And wake up and find a snake for a bedfellow? No, I feel that I shall
not sleep again for a month. I am almost ready to declare that I will
not stop another day at Ballarat, or in Australia. We have met with
nothing but dangers since our landing, and it seems that on each
occasion our lives have been spared as by a miracle."

"I can feel only too grateful that they are spared, without questioning
the means," I replied. "Whether a gracious Providence, or our
shrewdness, has prevented us from being food for worms, is a subject we
will not discuss."

"But I feel tired of this kind of life," Fred said, as he seated himself
upon his bed and looked around the floor, covered with blood, and the
bodies of the huge snake and the dead man. "A few weeks ago there was
nothing that I liked so well as an adventure, but now I am surfeited,
and would fain enjoy a respite. A few weeks of inactivity would not come
amiss, for ever since we have been on the island we have seen nothing,
heard of nothing, but blood. I am sick of it."

"Well?" I inquired, anxiously.

"I will adhere to the vow that I took before leaving California. We
swore then never to desert each other, either in sickness or in health.
Until you are content to leave Australia, I remain. That is settled
upon."

We shook hands, and bound the bargain, and as we did so, the light that
had wavered and flickered, and revealed the desperate fight, between the
robber and the snake, suddenly died out, and left us in darkness.

And then we heard gentle steps upon the floor, and a snuffing, as though
some animal was pawing over the bodies, and while we were listening to
discover who our new visitor was, I felt something cold touch my hand,
and I started in alarm; but my fears quickly vanished, for I found that
Rover had recovered from his fright, and had come back in search of his
master. The poor dog! I could not blame him for deserting us,
considering the character of our late visitor.

The brute curled down beside us, and sat and listened to our
conversation through the night, but during that period his ears were
raised as though waiting a repetition of the sound that had alarmed him
hours before.

"I saw you move your hand towards your revolver," I said, addressing
Fred; "why did you not use it before the snake attacked the poor
fellow?"

"Because, while looking at the monster, a feeling came over me that I
cannot at this moment account for. I had regarded the snake with the
utmost dread and abhorrence, until all at once I thought that I did not
appear to look upon him with the same disgust, and the longer that I
gazed, the more fascinated I became, and I could not have harmed the
reptile, had my life depended upon my actions."

It was singular, but his feelings were the same that I had experienced,
and I refer the matter to scientific gentlemen, and desire them to solve
the question. Can a black snake, by the aid of lamp light, fascinate two
men, separated a distance of three yards, so that they lose all mastery
over their actions, and are impelled, by a power that appears
uncontrollable, to approach an object that they most dread on earth?