closed his eyes, and struck he knew not what—­but Sneak knew, for the blow descended on his head—­though with feeble force.  In an instant the horsemen had passed to the opposite side of the area and halted in the tall grass.  Looking back, they beheld a great commotion among the surviving snakes.  Some glided into the pool, and with bodies submerged, elevated their heads above the surface and darted out their tongues fiercely.  Others raced round the scene of slaughter with their heads full four feet high, or gathered about the dead and dying, and lashed the air with their sharp tails, producing sounds like the cracking of whips.  The few copper-heads and rattlesnakes present coiled themselves up with their heads in the centre in readiness to strike their poison into whatever object came within their reach.

So sudden had been the onset of the horsemen that the surprised serpents seemed to be ignorant of the nature of the foe, and instead of flying to the long grass to avoid a recurrence of bloodshed, they continued to glide round the pool, while their number increased every moment.

“What’d you hit me on the head for?” asked Sneak, after regarding the snakes a moment, and then turning to Joe, the pony having still kept at the heels of the steed in spite of his rider’s efforts to the contrary.

“Oh, Sneak,” cried Joe, in tones somewhat tremulous, “do, for goodness’ sake, let us go away from here!”

“I sha’n’t do any such thing—­what’d you hit me on the head for?”

“I thought I was a killing a snake,” replied Joe.

“Do I look like a snake?” continued Sneak, turning round, when for the first time he discovered the condition of his companion’s bridle.

“Sneak, let’s ride away!” said Joe.

“And leave all them black sarpents yander poking out their tongues at us?  I won’t go till I wear out this pole on ’em.  Ha! ha! ha!  I thought you hadn’t spunk enough to gallup through ’em on your own accord,” said Sneak, looking at the pony, and knowing that he would follow the steed always, if left to his own inclination.

“Come, Sneak, let’s go home!” continued Joe, in a supplicating tone.

“Come! let’s charge on the snakes agin!” said Sneak, raising the rod, and fixing his feet in the stirrups.

“Hang me if I go there again!” said Joe, throwing down his rod.

“You’re a tarnation coward, that’s what you are!  But you can’t help yourself,” replied Sneak.

“I’ll jump off and run!” said Joe, preparing to leap to the ground.

“You jest do now, and you’ll have forty sarpents wrapped round you in less than no time.”

At that moment two or three racers swept between them with their heads elevated as high as Joe’s knees, and entered the area.

“Oh goodness!” cried Joe, drawing up his legs.

“Git down and git your pole,” said Sneak.

“I wouldn’t do it if it was made of gold!”