BOAS. 171 



my dying day shall I forget the thrill of horror 

 that passed through my frame on perceiving the 

 neck and head of a monstrous Serpent covering 

 my foot with saliva, preparatory, as immediately 

 flashed upon my mind, to commencing the process 

 of swallowing it. I had faced death in many 

 shapes — on the ocean — on the battle-field — but 

 never till that moment had I conceived he could 

 approach me in a guise so terrible. For a mo- 

 ment, and but a moment, I was fascinated. But 

 recollection of my state soon came to my aid, and 

 I quickly withdrew my foot from the monster, 

 which was all the while glaring upon me with its 

 basilisk eyes, and at the same instant I instinc- 

 tively grasped my gun, which was lying loaded 

 beside me. The reptile, apparently disturbed by 

 my motion, (I conceive it had previously, from my 

 inertness, taken me for a dead carcase,) drew its 

 head below the level of the canoe. I had just 

 sufficient time to raise myself half up, pointing 

 the muzzle of my piece in the direction of the 

 Serpent, when its neck and head again appeared 

 moving backwards and forwards, as if in search 

 of the object it had lost. The muzzle of my gun 

 was within a yard or two of it : my finger was on 

 the trigger ; I fired, and it received the shot in its 

 head. Rearing up part of its body into the air 

 with a horrible hiss, which made my blood run 

 cold — and, by its contortions, displaying to my 

 sight great part of its enormous bulk, which had 

 hitherto escaped my notice — it seemed ready to 

 throw itself upon me, and to embrace me in its 

 monstrous coils. Dropping my gun, by a single 

 stroke of the paddles I made the canoe shoot up 

 the stream out of his reach. Just as I was escap- 



