flickering like gems, his whirring rattle rasping its thin, incessant defiance.
The dog did not see the danger and, being young in years and woodcraft, failed to understand the monotonous note of warning. His attention absorbed by the fleeing squirrel, he came bounding along, head in air, careless of the ground in front of him. He leaped clear over the snake; and as he passed, the bent neck straightened like a spring and the javelin-like head, its jaws gaping hugely, lunged upward, seeming to touch the dog gently on the throat where it joined the chest.
The dog did not see what it was that had pricked his skin and at the moment paid no attention to the slight pain. He galloped on, his eager eyes still fixed upon the squirrel, and had passed far down the road beyond the snake before the deadly fluid in his veins began to work. Then he staggered and his excited barking gave place to piercing, agonized yelps. The end came with merciful rapidity. He fell over on his side, lurched once more to his feet, and in a minute or so went down again, his piercing cries reduced to scarcely audible gasps. For a while his limbs twitched and quivered convulsively. Then his gasping ceased and he lay still.
The boy, meanwhile, being more careful of where he placed his bare feet and, moreover, having heard before this the ominous rolling of the kettledrum
