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had made his way to where the body lay.
"What the hell?!" he shouted. "Did you know there's a body here?"
"Yes," Daniels said, "and I decided it was too dangerous to try to remove it. Did you see how big..."
"So you were just gonna burn it?" McCabe growled, incredulous. "The least you could do is get her out first." He bent and cradled the stiff corpse in his arms, turned and stepped out of the brush, and his eyes jerked open wide! The body rolled off his arms and fell with a sickening thump! McCabe looked at his big forearm. There among the freckles Daniels saw the same bite pattern as the rookie's. It was obvious to all. Everyone took a leap backward! Guns snapped to the ready! Suddenly the snake came out of the girl's shirt front! Mace aimed and fired! The snake writhed in unrelieved agony. Jessica fired again, and the snake's vigor was much reduced. It ceased to writhe but it continued moving. All eyes were on it. Then they heard McCabe gurgle and fall, first on one knee, then on, face forward. He huffed like a bear, lying there, twitching, struggling like the snake but, like the snake, getting no relief.
"Set the fire Mace!" Daniels ordered. "It's getting dark. I don't want to be out here with the big one in the dark.
"There may be other small ones," Jessica said. "You see, according to Olmec myth, or what we thought was myth,the giant Habu gives birth to live young. They live in a colony until they get too large to live together."
Mace set the fire anew. The group resumed their positions, more wary than ever. Soon a crackling blaze lit the night.