THE CONVICT TRAIL 195 



When once the serpent felt himself con- 

 quered, he ceased to struggle; and this was for- 

 tunate, for in the dim light we stumbled more 

 than once as we sidled and backed through the 

 maze of lianas and over fallen logs. 



Nupee now appeared, unashamed and wide- 

 eyed with excitement. He followed and picked 

 up the wreck of battle gun, hats and bags 

 which had been thrown aside or knocked off in 

 the struggle. With locked step, so as not to 

 wrench the long body, we marched back to Kala- 

 coon. Now and then a great shudder would 

 pass through the hanging loops and a spasm 

 of muscular stress that tested our strength. It 

 was no easy matter to hold the snake, for the 

 scales on its back were as rough and hard as a 

 file, and a sudden twist fairly took the skin off 

 one's hand. 



I cleaned his mouth of all dirt and debris, and 

 then we laid him upon the ground and, without 

 stretching, found that he measured a good eight 

 feet and a half. With no relaxing of care we 

 slid him into the wired box which would be his 

 home until he was liberated in his roomier quar- 

 ters in the Zoological Park in New York. 



Close to the very entrance of the Convict 



