Crafttrg at Datura! fe 



his stomach was rather disproportionate to : stantaneous was the act, that it was impos- 

 his size, as will presently appear. He was sible for the eye to follow the rapid convo- 

 a native of Borneo, and was the property of lution of his elongated body. It was not a 

 a gentleman (now in England), who had J regular screw-like turn that was formed, but 

 two of the same sort ; but, in their passage resembling rather a knot, one part of the 

 up to Batavia, one of them broke loose from body overlaying the other, as if to add 

 his confinement, and very soon cleared the weight to the muscular pressure, the more 

 decks, as everybody very civilly made way effectually to crush his object. During this 

 for him, and ran up the rigging, or to some . time he continued to grasp with his fangs, 

 other place of security. Not being used to ; though it appeared an unnecessary precau- 

 a ship, however, or taking, perhaps, the sea tion, that part of the animal which he had 

 for a green field, he sprawled overboard, and first seized. The poor goat, in the mean 

 was drowned. He is said not to have sunk time, continued its feeble and half-stifled 

 immediately, but to have reared his head cries for some minutes, but they soon became 

 several times, and with it a considerable more and more faint, and at la_st it expired, 

 portion of his body, out of the sea. His The snake, however, retained it for a con- 

 companion, lately our shipmate, was brought siderable time in his grasp, after it was ap- 

 safely on shore, and lodged in the court- j parently motionless. He then slowly and 

 yard of Mr. Davidson's house at Ryswick, ! cautiously unfolded himself, till the goat 

 where he remained for some months, waiting fell dead from his monstrous embrace, when 

 for an opportunity of being conveyed home he began to prepare himself for swallowing 

 in some commodious ship sailing directly it. Placing his mouth in front of the dead 

 for England, in which he was likely to be animal, he commenced by lubricating with 

 carefully attended to. This opportunity his saliva that part of the goat ; and then 

 offered in the Caesar, and he was accordingly taking its muzzle into his mouth, which 

 embarked on board of that ship with the rest had, and indeed alwaj's has, the appearance 

 of her numerous passengers. During his of a raw lacerated wound, he sucked it in, as 

 itay at Ryswick he is said to have been : far as the horns would allow. These pro- 

 usually entertained with a goat for dinner, tuberances opposed some little difficulty, not 

 once in every three or four weeks, with oc j so much from their extent, as from their 

 casionally a duck or a fowl, by way of a ' points ; however, they also, in a very short 

 dessert. He was brought on board shut up time, disappeared ; that is to say, externally; 

 in a wooden crib or cage, the bars of which | but their progress was still to be traced very 

 were sufficiently close to prevent his escape ; distinctly on the outside, threatening every 

 and it had a sliding door, for the purpose of moment to protrude through the skin. The 

 admitting the articles on which he was to victim had now descended as far as the 

 subsist ; the dimensions of the crib were shoulders ; and it was an astonishing sight 

 about four feet high, and five feet square ; to observe the extraordinary action of the 

 a space sufficiently large for him to coil snake's muscles when stretched to such an 

 himself round with ease. The live stock for unnatural extent an extent which must 

 his use during the passage, consisting of six have utterly destroyed all muscular power 

 goats of the ordinary size, were sent with in any animal that was not, like himself, 

 him on board, five being considered as a fair endowed with very peculiar faculties of ex- 

 allowance for as many months. At an early pansion and action at the same time. When 

 period of the voyage we had an exhibition his head and neck had no other appearance 

 of his talent in the way of eating, which was than that of a serpent's skin, stuffed almost 

 publicly performed on the quarter-deck, to bursting, still the workings of the muscles 

 upon which he was brought. The sliding were evident ; and his power of suction, as 

 door being opened, one of the goats was it is erroneously called, unabated ; it was, 

 thrust in, and the door of the cage shut, in fact, the effect of a contractile muscular 

 The poor goat, as if instantly aware of all ! power, assisted by two rows of strong hooked 

 the horrors of its perilous situation, imme- teeth. With all this he must be so formed 

 diately began to utter the most piercing and '. as to be able to suspend, for a time, his re- 

 distressing cries, butting instinctively, at the spiration, for it is impossible to conceive that 

 same time, with its head towards the ser- j the process of breathing could be carried on 

 pent, in self-defence. The snake, which at ; while the mouth aud throat were so corn- 

 first appeared scarcely to notice the poor pletely stuffed and expanded by the body of 

 animal, soon began to stir a little, and, the goat, and the lungs themselves (ad- 

 * ... !.: ,._., .- .!. ., ^ ^ . mitting the trachea to be ever so hard) com- 

 pressed, as they must have been, by its 

 passage downwards. 



The whole operation of completely gorging 

 the goat occupied about two hours and 

 twenty minutes : at the end of which time 

 the tumefaction was confined to the middle 

 part of the body, or stomach, the superior 



mated to prepare for the banquet. The first parts, which had been so much distended, 

 operation was that of darting out his forked ! having resumed their natural dimensions, 

 tongue, and at the same time rearing a little j He now coiled himself up again, and lay 

 his head ; then suddenly .seizing the goat | quietly in his usual torpid state for about 

 by the fore leg with his mouth, and throwing ' 

 it down, it was encircled in an instant in his 

 horrid folds. So quick, indeed, and so in- 



turning his head in the direction of the goat, 

 he at length fixed a deadly and malignant 

 eye on the trembling victim, whose agony 

 and terror seemed to increase ; for, previous 

 to the snake seizing its prey, it shook in 

 every limb, but still continued its unavail- 

 ing show of attack, by butting at the ser- 

 pent, which now became sufficiently ani- 



three weeks or a month, when, his last meal 

 appearing to be completely digested and 

 dissolved, he was presented with another 



