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, imashamed 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 

 shd 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 



