Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 John and the guys all scrambled to their feet. John's heart pounded through his chest. But none of the guys ran. Somehow, John kept his boots glued to the ground. He stared in horror as the giant snake coiled its body. It was like a thick rope tying itself into a knot. John could see its muscles rippling under its scaly skin. Its head lifted higher and higher as its body coiled more

tightly. Soon it was almost as high as their chests. Its forked tongue was flickering in and out, like a candle flame in the wind. It seemed like a beast from one of Franny's fairy stories — a fire-breathing dragon, a monster from a dark, dripping cave. It was thicker than John's leg. From its nose to its tail, it had to be taller than Pa — six feet at least. Its skin was dull gold, and covered with black and white triangles. Its rattle was huge, with at least twenty bands — one for every year it had been alive, John had heard. This was an old snake. Shkshkshkshkshkshkshk "Don't move," Rex whispered. It was getting ready to strike, John knew. That's what a rattler does. It coils itself so it can spring forward when it attacks. A rattler that big could leap forward at least six feet, maybe more. These thoughts raced around and around in John's mind, like water spinning in a whirlpool.

There was no way they could kill this snake! Maybe they could have if they had caught it when its head was just peeping out of its hole. But not like this. They'd need a cannon, or an army of soldiers firing rifles. Their stupid snake-killing weapons were useless now. This snake had more than enough venom to kill them all! But the guys weren't ready to surrender. Rex was standing there, his ax gripped tight in his hand. Peter held his hoe, ready to strike. Sven had his stick high in the air. John felt frozen. King Rattler was looking directly at him. Its deathly yellow eyes glowed. Its mouth opened wide. Needlelike white fangs glistened inside its sickly pink mouth. Hissssssssssssss

John's entire body started to shake. He took a step back, not realizing he was right at the edge of the creek. His foot slipped, and suddenly he was slipping down the bank. He tumbled backward, landing in the water with a freezing splash. He barely had a chance to take a breath as the churning water grabbed hold of him and sent him rushing downstream.

John couldn't swim — nobody he knew could swim. The water twisted and turned him, scraping him against the rocks as he was carried along. Water gushed into his mouth and up his nose. He tried to grab hold of rocks and sticks. Anything to slow himself down. But it was no use. John wasn't going to be killed by a rattlesnake. He was going to drown!