“But we feel that you saved Harry’s life, just the same and we want you to understand that we feel under deep obligations,” Arnold insisted.  “Another moment and it would have been too late.”

“Well, I guess it would,” acknowledged the stranger.  “That’s a leetle the biggest snake of that partic’lar kind I ever seen.”

“He’s big enough to be in a show,” declared Harry.

“How’d you like his skin?” inquired their new found friend.

“No, thank you,” protested Harry.  “I’ve seen quite enough of him.  I couldn’t enjoy that skin a bit.  But you may have it.”

“Thanks.  Believe I’ll just pull that hide off.  I might be able to sell it.  Some feller’ll be along from up No’th and buy it.”

“Why, we’re from up North,” was Arnold’s rejoinder.  “Let me introduce my chum and myself before you handle that snake.  Shake hands with Harry Harvey and my name is Arnold Poysor.  We’re from Chicago down here on a pleasure trip in a motor boat.”

“Glad to meet you,” replied the fellow.  “My name’s Lopez.  They call me Pete when I’m to home.  How’d youall like to come over to my house for supper?  I live just a piece from here.”

“Thank you, but we’d better be getting back,” replied Harry.  “Our friends will be expecting us shortly, and it’s quite a ways back to the shipyard where our boat is on the ways for repairs.”

“Only a little ways,” asserted Lopez.  “I know a short cut through a bayou that’ll take you there in less than half an hour.  Youall better stay.  I’m goin’ to have mutton for supper, and my nigger shore knows how to cook mutton.  He’s a fine cook.”

While Lopez urged the boys to stay, he was busy with the carcass of the dead snake and soon had the skin deftly removed.  His entreaties for the boys to visit his home were insistent.  The boys felt that they owed him such a large debt that they could not decline, although they preferred to proceed in the opposite direction.  At length they yielded to the urgent invitation.  Lopez started away at a good gait through the forest, closely followed by his new guests, who found some difficulty in keeping pace with him.

“I’m gwine to have mutton for supper,” explained Lopez, “and I want to get down to my sheep as they are passin’ through a little draw back here a piece.  They always go through there about this time.”

After a short time the party came to a draw through which ran a small stream of clear water.  Here they saw a flock of perhaps two hundred sheep feeding slowly along.  All were headed in one direction.

“I see a young wether,” Lopez announced as the party drew up beside a giant pine.  “Shall I pick him off?”

“Go as far as you like,” replied Harry.  “I don’t know one from another.  They all look alike to me.”

“See those two drinking by that big dead stub,” Lopez said.  “Which one shall I take, the one with black on his face or the white?”