CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. li 
took the alarm, and immediately put his helm aport; 
This forced the vessel’s head to the stream, and I 
was left hanging to the bush with the snake close to 
me, not having been able to-recover my balance as 
the vessel veered from the land. I kept firm hold 
of the branch to which I was clinging, and was three 
times over-head in the water below, presenting an 
easy prey to any alligator that might have been on 
the look-out for a meal. Luckily, a man who. was 
standing near the pilot, on seeing what had hap- 
pened, rushed to the helm, seized hold of it, and put 
it hard a-starboard, in time to bring the head of the 
vessel back again. As they were pulling me up, I 
saw that the donk was evidently too far gone to do 
mischief; and so I laid hold of it, and brought it 
aboard with me, to the horror and surprise of the 
crew. It measured eight feet in length. “As soon | 
as I had got a change of clothes, I killed it, and 
made a dissection of the head. | 
I would sometimes go ashore in the swamps to 
shoot maroudies, which are somewhat related to the 
pheasant; but they were very shy, and it required 
considerable address to get’ within shot of them. In 
these little excursions, Inow and then smarted for my 
pains. More than once, I got amongst some hungry 
leeches, which made pretty free with my legs. The 
morning after I had had the adventure with the la- 
barri snake; a cayman’ slowly passed our vessel. All 
on board agreed that’ this tyrant of the fresh waters, 
could not be less than thirty feet long. 
' On arriving at Angustura, the capital of the Oro- 
noquo, we were réceived with great politeness by the 
c2 
