A HDNTEE'8 lipb. 379 



four inches behind ltd head, and drove the forks into the 

 ground across the serpent's neck ; which held him so tight 

 that he could not get out. Having on a strong pair of 

 boots, he set his heel on the snake's head, keeping 

 his whole weight on it, and then took hold of it with his 

 left hand, when his thumb and fingers could not meet 

 round its body. 



Holding the snake fast. House kept slipping his hand 

 up, until it was near the tail ; the serpent, meantime, turn- 

 ing, flouncing, and rattling, while my companion screamed 

 at him to let it alone. But he was not to be turned from 

 his purpose ; and, stretching the snake up (it was nearly 

 as tall as the man), he then took the knife, and, cutting 

 round the reptile's neck near to the head, ran the knife 

 from the stick, up the snake's belly nearly to his hand, thus 

 ripping it from stem to stem. Then, throwing down the 

 knife, with the thumb and finger of his right hand he picked 

 at the skin, and starting it up a few inches, he took hold 

 of it, and at one pull took the whole skin off, rattles and 

 all. Every part of the snake's body was laid as bare as a 

 skinned eel. The snake, as soon as its skin was off, and 

 House had removed his foot and the forked stick, coiled 

 itself, and dared us to come again, by poking out its 

 forked tongue at us. I took a stick and held it to its 

 head, and it bit it every time 1 put it within reach. 



We let it alone for some time, to see what it would do ; 

 and when it found we had ceased to trouble it, it crawled 

 away from the road at least a rod, and coiled itself up 

 under some leaves ; when I put the stick toward it again, 

 which it struck several times. We then left it in that con- 

 dition ; but when we returned the next day, the snake was 

 nowhere to be seen. Whether it crawled off, or some ani- 

 mal or bird devoured it, I do not know ; but I saw no 

 sign o( its having been eaten there. When it crawled 



