101 



fright sends the boat beyond the mark and against the bank. 

 " What arc you doing ? keep the bow just about three feet from 

 under him," we cry. We get into position and a good hearty 

 poke is administered to the snake to make him wake up. The 

 result is a rajiid uncoiling and a pair of widely distended pink 

 coloured jaws, bristling with teeth, are launched violently at the 

 stick. " He coniin' Sah ! Shoot him befo" lie 'ting ahwe dead 

 Sail !" and before we know it the boat has drifted down stream 

 twenty or thirty feet. Then we rise and mildly expostulate with 

 and rebuke those misguided men, and a sultriness flavoured 

 with a slightly sulphurous odour, taints the breezes playing o'er 

 the surface of the river, Avhich it is impossible to describe on 

 paper. At length Ave get back into position and there is three 

 feet of snake hanging out of the tree waiting to receive us. A 

 blunt spear shaped head is turned towards us watching our pro- 

 ceedings and a forked tongue flicks in and out in a threaten- 

 ing manner. " Oh Golly dere he am again. For Heaven's sake 

 shoot him Sah, yo' nabah catch him," implores poor Seaton. 

 '■' Oh ! shut up can't you ?" is the inelegant reply, " don't look 

 at the snake ; you can't do two things at one time ; only keep 

 the boat up, we'll do all the rest." But away Ave float. "Oh 

 go home, you venerable old dears; keep the boat up, can't you ? 

 The beast is getting away," and sure enough seven feet of 

 snake is slowly ascending upwards toAvards giddy heights from 

 whence nothing but a gunshot can bring him down. A dexterous 

 prod, hoAvever, so hurts the creature's dignity that doAvn he 

 comes again to Avreak vengeance upon the insult to his ophidian 

 dignity. " Noav's your chance." The snare approaches his head ; 

 it's over and pulled tight, but alas ! the snake movea a little 

 and a dead branch is caught instead. It is easy enough to catch 

 a branch, hut it is not so easy to let it go again and a desperate 

 struggle ensues to get the Avire doAvai. At last it breaks, but 

 not before the snake has made many Avicked snaps at it, each 

 one eliciting a loud exclamation of horror from the men, 

 interspersed Avith inA'ocations for every imaginable blessing upon 

 their heads if they don't keep the boat up. The noose is re- 

 paired and again Ave try, but the snake a second time commences 

 to retreat. He is again brought back and presently the noose 

 slides easily over his head and is draAvn tight. The men by this 

 time are half out of the boat, and tlie conversation becomes 

 unusually animated on our part. Our rhetorical j)OAvers at last 

 get the men to control themselves a little and a gentle strain is 

 put on the snake. The other pole is brought to bear on his back 

 and he considerately throAvs a coil or tAvo round it Avhich helps 

 us a good deal. Then the last tAvig Avhich he is holding Avith 

 his tail breaks and Ave have him at the end of our poles, Avhilc 



