386 



length, by keeping the upper lights steady, I perceived some- 

 thing like billets of wood, or rather more resembling a ship's 

 cable coiled up in a dark hold, seen from the deck; but no lan- 

 guage can express my sensations of astonishment and terror, when 

 I saw a horrid monster rear his head, over an immense length of 

 body, coiled in volumes on the ground; and working itself into 

 exertion by a sort of sluggish motion. What I felt on seeing two 

 fellow creatures exposed by my orders to this " fiend of vengeful 

 nature," I must leave to the reader's imagination. There was not 

 a moment for reflection; down went the ropes, and we drew up 

 the panting terrified wretches speechless; but, to my inexpressible 

 joy, no otherwise affected than by the cold perspiration and death- 

 like state produced by fear, which soon subsided. Some hay be- 

 ing then thrown clown upon the lighted torches left in the cavern, 

 consumed the mortal part of the guardian genius, as we afterwards 

 took up the scorched and lifeless body of a large snake; but, not- 

 Avithstanding a minute search, no money could be found. The 

 proprietor had doubtless carried off his treasure Avhen he fled 

 to a foreign country. As the cells in the tower were all very 

 small and deep, and the walls of strong masonry, it appears won- 

 derful how this snake had subsisted. Toads have been discovered 

 alive in the centre of large blocks of marble, without any aper- 

 ture, and in the midst of a solid trunk of oak; how either those rep- 

 tiles, or the coluber genii of India, subsist in their singular abode, 

 I must leave to the investigation of the curious. 



My upper servant, then with me at Nurrah, was of the Parsee 

 tribe; an intelligent man, unprejudiced, and not tinctured with 

 superstition. He told me that one of his countrymen at Sural, in 



