"
Philip fell asleep as usual, and by-and-by the snake began to flatten
his ribs, and draw himself from under the load, until at last he was
clear of it; then, heaving a deep sigh of relief he lay quiet for
awhile to recover his breath. He knew there was a hole somewhere if
he could only find it and he kept poking his nose here and there
against the mattress.
After sleeping an hour or two, Philip turned on his other side, and
the snake had to move out of the way in a hurry for fear of being
squeezed to death. There was a noise as of something rustling in the
straw, and after listening awhile, Philip said: "I suppose it's a
mouse," and soon fell fast asleep again, because he was not afraid of
mice even when they ran across his nose.
In the morning he took his blankets out again, and hung them on the
fence, shook up his mattress and pillow, and then spread the sheets
over them, tucking them in all round, and then he got ready his
breakfast.
The whole of that day was spent by the snake in trying to find a way
out. The sheets being tucked in he was still in the dark, and he
kept going round and round, feeling for the hole with his nose until
he went completely out of his mind, just as a man does when he is
lost in the bush. So the day wore on, night and bedtime came again,
and Philip lay down to rest once more right over the imprisoned
snake.
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