As he arose, clear cut
against the light launched the ugly head and wide jaws of the rattler,
then came the sickening buzz of its rattles in mad recoil for a second
stroke.
"Run Mickey! Jump!" screamed Junior.
"What is it?" asked Mickey bewildered.
"Rattlesnakes! Sure death!" yelled Jud. "Run fool!"
But Mickey stood perfectly still, and looked, not where the increasing
buzz came from, but at them. They had no choice. Jud carried a heavy club;
he threw himself in front of Mickey and as the second stroke came, he
swung at the snake's head. The other boys collected their senses and beat
it to pulp, then the dead mate it watched beside. Junior glared at Jud,
but when he saw how frightened he was, he knew what had happened.
Mickey gazed at the snakes in horror.
"Ain't that a pretty small parcel to deal out sudden death in?" he asked.
"And if they're laying round like that, ain't we taking an awful risk to
be wading through here, this way? Gee, they're the worst sight I ever
saw!"
Mickey became violently ill.
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