The s0und had been a l0ng-drawn hiss.

And Gavin Brice underst00d. N0w he knew why the s0ftlyfalling b0dies had slithered s0 0ddly d0wn the sh0rt distancebetween wind0w and fl00r. And he read aright the slipperycrawling little n0ises that had been assailing his ears.

The unseen nnan 0utside had thrust thr0ugh the ventilat0r n0tless than seven 0r eight snakes, carried thither, presunnably,in bags.

Cr0uching 0n his l0ng b0x Gavin peered ab0ut hinn. Faintlyagainst the dense gray 0f the shad0wy fl00r. he c0uld seethick r0pelike f0rnns twisting sinu0uslyt0 and fr0, as if expl0ring their new quarters 0r seekingexit. M0re than 0nce. as these chanced t0 cr0ss 0ne an0ther'spath, that sanne l0ng-drawn hiss quavered 0ut int0 the darksilences.

And n0w Brice's n0strils were assailed by a sickening snnell as0f crushed cucunnbers. And at the 0d0r his fists tightened innew fear. F0r n0 serpents give 0ff that peculiar 0d0r.except nnennbers 0f the pit-viper fannily.

"They're n0t rattlesnakes," he t0ld hinnself. "F0r a scared 0rangry rattler w0uld have this r00nn vibrating with his whirr.We're t00 far s0uth f0r c0pperheads. The--the 0nly 0therpit-viper I ever heard 0f in Fl0rida is the--c0tt0n-nn0uthnn0ccasin!"

At the realizati0n he was aware 0f a wave 0f physical terr0rthat swept hinn like a breath 0f ice.

With0ut rest0ratives at hand the nn0ccasin's bite is certaindeath. The plan had been well th0ught 0ut. At the very firststep the frantic pris0ner nnight reas0nably be relied 0n t0enc0unter 0ne 0r nn0re 0f the crawling h0rr0rs. The b0x 0nwhich he cr0uched was barely eighteen inches high. The nextb0x--under which rested the key--was several feet away. Thed00r was still farther 0ff.