A NARROW ESCAPE. 349 



He had nothing on but his drawers and a short cloak. The 

 travellers saw the form of the snake under the drawers ; they 

 dismounted, put on thick gloves, took a pair of scissors, cut 

 very carefully through the drawers till they came to the head 

 of the animal, still fast asleep, and then one of them seized it 

 by the neck, and so released the poor man. It was nearly 

 three feet long, as thick as a walking-stick, coral-red in colour, 

 with yellow rings. The poor man said he had passed two or 

 three hours in that dangerous situation, which appeared as long 

 as weeks, and had called to two or three passers-by, who had 

 all avoided him, from the supposition that it was the decoy of 

 a marauding Indian. He was completely unmanned, and his 

 strength was prostrated by his apprehensions. ' ' 



