WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 217 



slaves behind me, I told them to follow me, and 

 that I would cut them down if they offered to fly. 

 I smiled as I said this, but they shook their heads 

 in silence, and seemed to have but a bad heart 

 of it. 



When we got up to the place, the serpent had not 

 stirred, but I could see nothing of his head, and I 

 judged by the folds of his body that it must be 

 at the farthest side of his den. A species of 

 woodbine had formed a complete mantle over the 

 branches of the fallen tree, almost impervious to 

 the rain, or the rays of the sun. Probably he 

 had resorted to this sequestered place for a length 

 of time, as it bore marks of an ancient settlement. 



I now took my knife, determining to cut away 

 the woodbine, and break the twigs in the gentlest 

 manner possible, till I could get a view of his 

 head. One negro stood guard close behind me 

 with the lance; and near him the other with a 

 cutlass. The cutlass which I had taken from the 

 first negro was on the ground close by me in case 

 of need. 



After working in dead silence for a quarter of 

 an hour, with one knee all the time on the ground, 

 I had cleared away enough to see his head. It 

 appeared coming out betwixt the first and second 

 coil of his body, and was flat on the ground. This 

 was the very position I wished it to be in. 



I rose in silence and retreated very slowly, mak- 

 ing a sign to the negroes to do the same. The 

 dog was sitting at a distance in mute observance. 

 I could now read in the face of the negroes, that 

 they considered this a very unpleasant affair ; and 

 they made another attempt to persuade me to let 



