174 A POISONOUS MONSTER. [1695. 



aiy, for it had Fins, and we knew not that there were any 

 such Creatures as Sea-Serpents ; Moreover, we had been so 

 accustom'd to discover Creatures that were new to us, both 

 at Land and Sea, that we did not think this to be any other 

 than an odd sort of Eel that we had never seen before ; yet 

 which we could not but think, more resembled a Snake than 

 an Eel. In a word, this Monster had a Serpent or Crocodiles 

 Head, and a Mouth full of hook'd, long and sharp Teeth, 

 not unlike those of the Eattle-Snake so well known in 

 America, but much larger. This is a strange Eel quoth we, 

 what Teeth he has ! But have not Sharks, Pikes, and a 

 thousand other Fish Teeth too ? No matter. Teeth or not, 

 we must tast of him. We then began to poult^ him about 

 the Mouth and Head with our Pole, and at length carry'd 

 him off in Triumph, like St. George when he kill'd the Dragon. 

 We found his filthy Flesh very tough, and of a bad Tast ; so 

 that as good luck would have it, we swallow'd none- of it, 

 it being in truth Poyson. We were all over-taken with a 

 strange Weakness, we sweated exceedingly^ we vomited even 



head of this species terminates in a blunt point, the two small eyes not 

 more than an inch from the end. The large mouth is filled with long, 

 sliarp teeth, even the roof is covered with these formidable weapons. 

 This eel is very dangerous, but not so common as reported. There are 

 several species of this genus, but none so large as this" (p. 346). 



Col. Pike was also attacked on the reefs off Pointe aux Caves by an 

 eel called Anguille JNIorele : " He was about three feet long, and when 

 I struck at him he came directly towards me, biting at my boots. I 

 beat him off and speared him. This singular eel is banded black and 

 white, edged with salmon colour, and has one round black spot on the 

 ■white bands. It is a fierce, voracious creature, bolder than a snake, and 

 in his rage he runs his head out of the water like one. The bite of this 

 eel is venomous, I am told, but I have not heard of any accidents from 

 it." (Ibid., 1. c, p. 286.) The present writer saw Captain Ilay-IIill, 

 Consul at Reunion, severely bitten by an eel, when gatliering shells at 

 Black River, in 1864. (Cf. Relation de rtle Rodrigve, Appendix B.) 

 • 1 To kill poultry : an old hawking term. (Halliwell's /)/e<. of Archaic 

 Word!^.) 



2 In orig. : " nous n'en mangeames gueres" (we ate but little of it). 



