Bandy-legs. "It's the mother of all them little snakes, I reckon. My!
but she's mad though; just coils up here, and jumps out at me every time
I touch her with my stick!"

Max felt a shudder pass through his person as he looked at Owen. For
suddenly he seemed to realize that the rattling sound, which he had of
course thought was caused by a noisy locust on a nearby tree, was in
fact the deadly warning that an enraged rattlesnake gives when striving
to strike its fangs into an enemy!




CHAPTER III.

ON THE ISLAND WITH THE BAD NAME.


"Keep back, Bandy-legs; that's a rattlesnake!" shouted Max, and some of
the others turned white with sudden alarm, as they also noted for the
first time the incident buzzing sound from a point nearby.

Immediately every one started toward the spot where the foolish
Bandy-legs was standing, holding a rather short stick in his hand, with
which he had doubtless been tormenting the larger snake just as he had
previously annoyed her young brood.

He was now seemingly turned into stone, although fortunately enough he
had managed to spring back a pace upon hearing the dreadful words
shouted by his chum.