Sam Harper never made such a quick leap in all his life as he did, when
he bounded several feet from the log, with a yell as if the ground
beneath him had become suddenly red-hot.
There is nothing on the broad earth which is held in such universal
abhorrence as a snake, the sight of which sends a shiver of disgust and
dread over nearly every one that looks upon it.
When Sam sat down on the fallen tree, he was probably almost near enough
for the coiled _crotalus_ to bury its fangs in him. It reared its head,
and, without uttering its customary warning, most likely measured the
intervening space with the purpose of striking.
The instinct of Bowser at this juncture told him of the peril of his
master, and he began his demonstrations, intended to draw him away from
the spot. At the same time, his barking, and trotting back and forth,
diverted the attention of the rattlesnake to the hound, and thereby
prevented him striking the unsuspicious boy.
It must have been, also, that during these few minutes the serpent
vibrated his tail more than once, for the nature of the reptile leads
him to do so; but the sound could not have been very loud, as it failed
to attract the attention of Sam until he rose from the log and turned
partly about.
The boy moved around the head of the fallen tree, so as to place
himself on the same side with the rattlesnake, and then he spent a
minute or two in contemplating him at that safe distance.
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