214 WANDERINGS IN 



THIRD ft a ft er resting ten times ; for the snake was too 



JOURNEY. 



heavy for us to support him without stopping to 

 recruit our strength. As we proceeded onwards 

 with him, he fought hard for freedom, but it was 

 all in vain. The day was now too far spent to 

 think of dissecting him. Had I killed him, a 

 partial putrefaction would have taken place before 

 morning. I had brought with me up into the 

 forest a strong bag, large enough to contain any 

 animal that I should want to dissect. I considered 

 this the best mode of keeping live wild animals 

 when I was pressed for daylight ; for the bag 

 yielding in every direction to their efforts, they 

 would have nothing solid or fixed to work on, and 

 thus would be prevented from making a hole 

 through it. I say fixed, for after the mouth of 

 the bag was closed, the bag itself was not fastened 

 or tied to any thing, but moved about wherever 

 the animal inside caused it to roll. After securing 

 afresh the mouth of the coulacanara, so that he 

 could not open it, he was forced into this bag, and 

 left to his fate till morning. 



I cannot say he allowed me to have a quiet 

 night. My hammock was in the loft just above 

 him, and the floor betwixt us, half gone to decay, 

 so that in parts of it no boards intervened 

 betwixt his lodging-room and mine. He was very 

 restless and fretful ; and had Medusa been my 

 wife, there tfould not have been more continued 

 and disagreeable hissing in the bed-chamber 



