I suspected it the very moment I smelt the odour of the coriander and sassafras; but I suspected that an animal or a reptile of some kind was at the bottom of the mystery at a prior period.

That is why I wanted the flour.

Look! Do you see where I sifted it over this spot near the Patagonian plant?
And do you see those serpentine tracks through the middle of it?
The Mynga Worm is there--in that box, at the roots of that plant.

Now see!" He caught up a horse blanket, spread it on the floor, lifted the box and plant, set them down in the middle of it, and with a quick gathering up of the ends of the blanket converted it into a bag and tied it round with a hitching strap.
"Get spades, forks, anything, and dig a hole outside in the paddock," he went on.

"A deep hole--a yard deep at the least--then get some straw, some paraffin, turpentine--anything that will burn furiously and quickly--and we will soon finish the little beast." The servants flew to obey, and when the hole was dug he carried the bag out and lowered it carefully into it, covered it with straw, drenched this with a gallon or more of lamp oil, and rapidly applied a match to it and sprang back.
A moment later those who were watching saw a small black snake make an ineffectual effort to leap out of the blazing mass, fall back into the flames and disappear for ever.
"The method of procedure ?" said Cleek, answering the baronet's query as the latter was pouring out what he called "a nerve settler," prior to following the Rev.Ambrose's example and going to bed.