Part 38 (1/2)

”What shall we do, Captain?”

”Do?” said Spite, fairly hissing the answer through his teeth. ”Do? Why, we'll hang the villain!”

”Aha! Captain Spite talks very large, indeed,” whispered the soldiers one to another. ”Who ever heard of Pixies hanging a serpent?”

At any rate Spite intended to try it now. Already he had climbed upon a bush that overhung the sleeping monster, had fastened a cord to a twig and dropped down upon his head. Twist moved. Spite retreated upon his cord, and in a trice was half way up toward the twig.

”Come back, Captain, you'll lose your life,” shouted the crowd.

”Tut! trust me for that! Why, don't you see? The brute is dead stupid from his meal, and perfectly harmless.”

Down he ran again. This time Twist did not move. Spite fastened a line upon his head, dropped down by the side of his face, and burrowing into the gra.s.s, cleared a path directly under the jaws. Through this he carried his line, then up again along the opposite side of the face, and knotted it. He had thus pa.s.sed a cord entirely around the serpent's face.

”Now, my braves,” said he, ”I have shown what I want you to do, and how to do it. Here, a score of you wind up these jaws until they are completely gagged. Another squad may take a knot in his tail, tie it, lash it to a strong rope, and swing it up to that branch. I'll show you what more to do. Work sharp, now, and touch the brute as gently as possible. We shall surprise him, when he wakes up, with a new suit of clothes. He, he!”

The Pixinees and Pixies went to work with a hearty good will, and soon had finished their task.

”Now mount that branch and pull on the rope.” The tail was raised a little, and then the work paused. Nothing more could be done in that way. ”We must rig up a pulley, then,” said Spite. ”Bring me a dead fly, quick!”

The carca.s.s of a green fly was readily found. It was swung down from the branch, and wrapped round and round until it became a hard silken ball.

The rope which had been tied to the tail was now carried over this pulley, or windla.s.s as it might be more properly called. The ball was slowly revolved by the united strength of a number of Pixies; the rope gradually wound around it as it grew taut, and the body of Twist began to move. Thereat the crowd broke into hearty applause, clapping their fangs and claws together until the camp rang. The noise appeared to disturb Twist, or perhaps the effects of his meal were beginning to pa.s.s away. He raised his head feebly, shook it from side to side, discovered that his jaws were bound tightly together, and began to wriggle his body violently, whereat the circle of Pixies fell back.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 132.--Twist, the Serpent, Hung in the Pixie Snare.]

”Pull lively, lads!” cried Spite, who was prudently perched upon the top of the branch. ”Lively! a few more turns and we shall have him all right. There, that will do bravely. Now he may squirm as much as he pleases.” Twist was indeed bound and hung up beyond hope of recovery, although he was making desperate efforts to escape.[BH]

”Straighten out that cord, my lads, as much as possible,” called Spite.

”Run up supporting lines to the limb here. Fasten down the coils on the ball so that the rope won't give. Then, hurrah! We'll have a taste of dragon blood before we go to bed.” Spite ran down upon Twist's body as he spoke, and fastening himself upon the neck, struck with his fangs again and again. He then comfortably settled himself for a meal. In the meantime a number of the working squad had followed their Captain's example. Poor Twist! he was being literally devoured alive. Like many other wise persons, he had fallen a victim to ill-governed appet.i.te.

Thus ended his proud boasts and the campaign most prosperously begun. A Brownie scout, attracted by the great commotion in the Pixie camp, stole through the lines and discovering the cause, returned with the news which was soon known by all the Brownies at the inlet. But Spite was not long permitted to enjoy his well-earned supper. A runner bustled through the crowd and shouted for the Captain.

”Here I am,” answered Spite, quitting his hold upon Twist's neck and dropping to the ground. ”What's the matter now?”

”Matter enough, Sir! The rear of our camp has been attacked by young Slymousie, and everything there is in panic and confusion.”

”The prowling sneak! The Brownies have put him up to it, I warrant.

Rally the men! We must try to drive him back.”

Thereupon Spite started at full speed to the rear. He found affairs quite as bad as they had been reported. Biggy had cautiously approached the camp and, crawling low in the gra.s.s, slipped by the picket line undiscovered. Then with a rush and bound he leaped upon a group of Pixie sentinels who stood at the guard tent talking over the late incident with Dragon Twist. Unfortunately his caution, which is a good trait, was pushed to an undue degree, which is bad practice in a soldier. The fact is, that in spite of his boastings, Biggy's heart failed him a little when he came to face the danger, and thus his approach was so timid and slow that instead of striking the Pixie camp, as had been agreed, at the moment of Twist's a.s.sault, he did not attack it until Twist was fairly over his onset. This proved to be a fatal blunder.

However, when he once began work, he pushed it vigorously enough. He dispersed the sentinels. .h.i.ther and thither, broke down their tent and burst into the midst of the encampment. He struck, pushed and bit to the right and left, and soon had laid a broad swath of destruction along his path. In the midst of this high success he came upon the scattered contents of a b.u.mble-bee's nest, which the Pixies had been pillaging. It was a most unlucky circ.u.mstance, for all the Slymousie tribe are fond of bee-bread and honey, and Biggy was hungry. He stopped, smelled the bee combs, turned over a few cells with his nose and then began to nibble.

”Just one little taste,” he said, ”and then I'll go on with my duty.”

Ah, Biggy Slymousie, take care! Your enemies are all around you. This is the time for duty, not for delicacies. Touch not, taste not, handle not!

The temptation may prove too strong for you!

But Biggy silenced the voice of his better judgment, and nibbled away.

Now, Slymousies are always dainty and deliberate in their way of eating, which, as a rule, is quite proper and nice. But when one is in the midst of a hard and perilous battle, daintiness cannot safely be indulged.

Spite the Spy arrived on the scene just as Biggy had fairly settled down to enjoy a hearty meal. With a curse of thorough contempt hurled at the silly glutton, the Pixie chief began his preparations for revenge. He sent for engineers Tegenaria and Agalena of the Tubeweaver legion, and ordered out Theridion and his pioneers. The Pixies set to work with a will, and ere Biggy had finished his meal had completely surrounded him with a thick, strong and high wall of web work. While Biggy nibbled, nibbled, the Pixies spun and wove around him their fatal snares. Poor Biggy!