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.