an arrow. Out of it all came, when he went on to ask me if that

mysterious girl I had seen in the wood was not of a size to suit
me as a target when I had got my hand in with a little more

practice. That was the great work I was asked to do for
them--that shy, mysterious girl with the melodious wild-bird

voice was the evil being I was asked to slay with poisoned
arrows! This was why he now wished me to go often to the wood,

to become more and more familiar with her haunts and habits, to
overcome all shyness and suspicion in her; and at the proper

moment, when it would be impossible to miss my mark, to plant the
fatal arrow! The disgust he had inspired in me before, when

gloating over anticipated tortures, was a weak and transient
feeling to what I now experienced. I turned on him in a sudden

transport of rage, and in a moment would have shattered on his
head the blow-pipe I was carrying in my hand, but his astonished

look as he turned to face me made me pause and prevented me from
committing so fatal an indiscretion. I could only grind my teeth

and struggle to overcome an almost overpowering hatred and wrath.
Finally I flung the tube down and bade him take it, telling him

that I would not touch it again if he offered me all the sisters
of all the savages in Guayana for wives.

He continued gazing at me mute with astonishment, and prudence
suggested that it would be best to conceal as far as possible the

violent animosity I had conceived against him. I asked him
somewhat scornfully if he believed that I should ever be able to

hit anything--bird or human being--with an arrow. "No," I almost
shouted, so as to give vent to my feelings in some way, and

drawing my revolver, "this is the white man's weapon; but he
kills men with it--men who attempt to kill or injure him--but

neither with this nor any other weapon does he murder innocent
young girls treacherously." After that we went on in silence for

some time; at length he said that the being I had seen in the
wood and was not afraid of was no innocent young girl, but a

daughter of the Didi, an evil being; and that so long as she
continued to inhabit the wood they could not go there to hunt,

and even in other woods they constantly went in fear of meeting
her. Too much disgusted to talk with him, I went on in silence;

and when we reached the stream near the village, I threw off my
clothes and plunged into the water to cool my anger before going

in to the others.
CHAPTER VI

Thinking about the forest girl while lying awake that night, I
came to the conclusion that I had made it sufficiently plain to

her how little her capricious behaviour had been relished, and
had therefore no need to punish myself more by keeping any longer

out of my beloved green mansions. Accordingly, next day, after
the heavy rain that fell during the morning hours had ceased, I

set forth about noon to visit the wood. Overhead the sky was
clear again; but there was no motion in the heavy sultry

atmosphere, while dark blue masses of banked-up clouds on the
western horizon threatened a fresh downpour later in the day. My

mind was, however, now too greatly excited at the prospect of a
possible encounter with the forest nymph to allow me to pay any

heed to these ominous signs.
I had passed through the first strip of wood and was in the

succeeding stony sterile space when a gleam of brilliant colour
close by on the ground caught my sight. It was a snake lying on

the bare earth; had I kept on without noticing it, I should most
probably have trodden upon or dangerously near it. Viewing it

closely, I found that it was a coral snake, famed as much for its
beauty and singularity as for its deadlycharacter. It was about

three feet long, and very slim; its ground colour a brilliant
vermilion, with broad jet-black rings at equal distances round

its body, each black ring or band divided by a narrow yellow
strip in the middle. The symmetrical pattern and vividly

contrasted colours would have given it the appearance of an
artificial snake made by some fanciful artist, but for the gleam

of life in its bright coils. Its fixed eyes, too, were living
gems, and from the point of its dangerous arrowy head the

glistening tongue flickered ceaselessly as I stood a few yards
away regarding it.

"I admire you greatly, Sir Serpent," I said, or thought, "but it
is dangerous, say the military authorities, to leave an enemy or

possible enemy in the rear; the person who does such a thing must
be either a bad strategist or a genius, and I am neither."

Retreating a few paces, I found and picked up a stone about as
big as a man's hand and hurled it at the dangerous-looking head

with the intention of crushing it; but the stone hit upon the
rocky ground a little on one side of the mark and, being soft,

flew into a hundred small fragments. This roused the creature's
anger, and in a moment with raised head he was gliding swiftly

towards me. Again I retreated, not so slowly on this occasion;
and finding another stone, I raised and was about to launch it

when a sharp, ringing cry issued from the bushes growing near,
and, quickly following the sound, forth stepped the forest girl;

no longer elusive and shy, vaguely seen in the shadowy wood, but
boldly challenging attention, exposed to the full power of the

meridian sun, which made her appear luminous and rich in colour
beyond example. Seeing her thus, all those emotions of fear and

abhorrence invariably excited in us by the sight of an active
venomousserpent in our path vanished instantly from my mind: I

could now only feel astonishment and admiration et the brilliant
being as she advanced with swift, easy, undulating motion towards

me; or rather towards the serpent, which was now between us,
moving more and more slowly as she came nearer. The cause of

this sudden wonderful boldness, so unlike her former habit, was
unmistakable. She had been watching my approach from some

hiding-place among the bushes, ready no doubt to lead me a dance
through the wood with her mocking voice, as on previous

occasions, when my attack on the serpent caused that outburst of
wrath. The torrent of ringing and to me inarticulate sounds in

that unknown tongue, her rapid gestures, and, above all, her
wide-open sparkling eyes and face aflame with colour made it

impossible to mistake the nature of her feeling.
In casting about for some term or figure of speech in which to

describe the impression produced on me at that moment, I think of
waspish, and, better still, avispada--literally the same word in

Spanish, not having precisely the same meaning nor ever applied
contemptuously--only to reject both after a moment's reflection.

Yet I go back to the image of an irritated wasp as perhaps
offering the best illustration; of some large tropical wasp

advancing angrily towards me, as I have witnessed a hundred
times, not exactly flying, but moving rapidly, half running and

half flying, over the ground, with loud and angry buzz, the
glistening wings open and agitated; beautiful beyond most

animated creatures in its sharp but graceful lines, polished
surface, and variedbrilliantcolouring, and that wrathfulness

that fits it so well and seems to give it additional lustre.
Wonder-struck at the sight of her strange beauty and passion, I

forgot the advancing snake until she came to a stop at about five
yards from me; then to my horror I saw that it was beside her

naked feet. Although no longer advancing, the head was still
raised high as if to strike; but presently the spirit of anger

appeared to die out of it; the lifted head, oscillating a little
from side to side, sunk down lower and lower to rest finally on

the girl's bare instep; and lying there motionless, the deadly
thing had the appearance of a gaily coloured silkengarter just

dropped from her leg. It was plain to see that she had no fear
of it, that she was one of those exceptional persons, to be

found, it is said, in all countries, who possess some magnetic
quality which has a soothing effect on even the most venomous and

irritable reptiles.
Following the direction of my eyes, she too glanced down, but did

not move her foot; then she made her voice heard again, still
loud and sharp, but the anger was not now so pronounced.