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{{frabfp173.png}} || eagles of the sky ||

it would be noticed. But they tell me these
whoppers are rather scarce around these sections--there
may not be another inside of five miles."

"Glory! I should hope not, said the still
trembling Perk, "but I just can't forget we've got
even one here to bother us. If only I dared use
my gun, I'd soon knock spots out o' him, bet you
a cookey, Jack."

"Nothing doing, so forget that, partner. On
the way back, if he's still holding the fort, we
might get a couple of long, stout poles, and try
to knock him on the head if it can be done with
little confusion--he won't make any noise outside
of whirling his rattlebox and we could keep
our lips buttoned tight. Yes, that would be the
best way to fix things, I reckon."

Really Jack was saying this so as to comfort
his mate; he realized that Perk had received
a severe shock at sight of the diamondback
crawler and it might affect his desire to do any
prowling around after nightfall which would
throw the entire burden of so doing on his, Jack's
shoulders. Besides, there was a fair chance that
the snake would have withdrawn from his self-imposed
task of guardian of the swamp trail and
taken himself off to other pastures.

They resumed their forward progress, with
Perk keeping a watchful eye out for other lurking
perils--how were they to know but that an

[[173]]

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