CIRCUS DAYS 33 



With bamboo poles we prodded the snake at the 

 head and tail, standing by with the nooses, ready 

 to slip them on when he stirred sufficiently. Before 

 he realized what was happening, we had the head- 

 noose over him. The instant he felt the rope tighten 

 he was awake! 



The natives holding the tail-ropes became ex- 

 cited and succeeded in getting only one of them in 

 place. The python suddenly leaped forward, and, 

 though he did not loosen the rope, whipped it out 

 of the hands of the men and knocked several of 

 them flat; then he caught one man, who had not 

 been able to get out of the way, and wrapped the 

 lower part of his body around him while five or 

 six feet of his tail still lashed about with the rope. 

 I yelled to the others to pull on the tail-rope, but the 

 confusion was so great that they did not hear me. 

 I went for the snake's neck, which is the most tender 

 part of him, hoping to sink my fingers in on the 

 nerve center and disable him for a moment until 

 the men collected their senses and pulled the rope. 

 By jumping forward, the snake had loosened the 

 head-rope sufficiently to turn on me and sink his 

 fangs into my forearm. I sprang back. 



The man who was caught in the snake's coils 

 screamed, and tried to beat off the tail as it was 

 drawing in about him. Then the snake constricted 

 suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's 

 body and crushing the life out of him instantly. 

 Blood spouted from his mouth and ears, and he was 



