“By no means.  They are continually at war, but the insects struggle with desperate valor to maintain their homestead against their assailants; but in the end they have to retire and build another pyramid, where they live until a fresh colony of snakes appear and drive them forth wanderers once more.  The fight, however, lasts nearly a week before the insects acknowledge defeat, and if, during that time, the snakes wound each other in trying to free their bodies of the ants, it is a great triumph for the latter, for they fasten upon the wound, and all the twisting and squirming of the reptiles cannot dislodge them.  For days they fatten upon their victim, until at length the slight wound becomes a sore of great magnitude, and never heals.  Mortification at length ensues, and the death of the snake is then certain.  You can see that if the insects are weak and insignificant, nature teaches them a method of avenging their wrongs, and they are not slow to adopt it.”

As we found that it was impossible to get our horses to approach the nest of reptiles, we got the inspector to hold them while Fred and myself advanced, revolvers in hand, to get a nearer view of the squirming monsters.  They instantly arrayed themselves in a compact mass, and with flashing eyes and erect heads watched our motions.  Every few seconds they would utter a hiss, that sounded like an expression of displeasure in a theatre during some bad piece of acting.  We advanced to within ten rods of them, and then halted and surveyed them at leisure.

“I should like to try the effects of a shot,” Fred said, glancing at the snakes and then at his revolver.

“Fire away,” I replied, as anxious for the fun as himself.

In spite of a warning cry from Mr. Brown, Fred discharged his revolver, and the hall struck in the mass of squirming bodies.  I saw one huge monster tear himself loose from the others, and wind his body into knots, and beat the ground with rage with his tapered tail, while his hot blood dyed the ground as it gushed forth during his contortions.

“Try another,” said Fred, enjoying his own shot.

I also fired, and the same result followed.  The wounded snake either struggled, or else was forced from the mass, and the same bold front was kept up by the others.  The hissing, if possible, was a little louder, and the eyes of those uninjured flashed brighter, but the mass did not move forward, or recede from our attack; and it was not until we had each discharged five barrels of our revolvers that a movement, as though determined to revenge their loss, was made.

CHAPTER XLII.

FLIGHT FROM THE SNAKES.—­ATTACKED BY THE BUSHRANGERS.

Slowly, but in a compact form, did the snakes creep forward, hissing, and expanding their huge mouths, and darting out their forked tongues, which quivered like a million of grasshoppers strung upon steel wires, and exposed to a strong breeze.