WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMEKICA. 255 



took place near the spot where I had captured the large 

 snake. In the morning I had been following a new species 

 of paroquet, and the day being rainy, I had taken an um- 

 brella to keep the gun dry, and had left it under a tree ; 

 in the afternoon I took Daddy Quashi with me to look for 

 it. Whilst he was searching about, curiosity took me to- 

 wards the place of the late scene of action. There was a 

 path where timber had formerly been dragged along. Here 

 I observed a young coulacanara, ten feet long, slowly mov- 

 ing onwards ; I saw he was not thick enough to break my 

 arm in case he got twisted round it. There was not a 

 moment to be lost. I laid hold of his tail with the left 

 hand, one knee being on the ground ; with the right I took 

 my hat, and held it as you would hold a shield for defence. 



The snake instantly turned, and came on at me, with his 

 head about a yard from the ground, as if to ask me, what 

 business I had to take liberties with his tail. I let him 

 come, hissing and open-mouthed, within two feet of my 

 face, and then, with all the force I was master of, I drove 

 my fist, shielded by my hat, full in his jaws. He was 

 stunned and confounded by the blow, and ere he could re- 

 cover himself, I had seized his throat with both hands, in 

 such a position that he could not bite me ; I then allowed 

 him to coil himself round my body, and marched off with 

 him as my lawful prize. He pressed me hard, but not 

 alarmingly so. 



In the meantime, Daddy Quashi having found the um- 

 brella, and having heard the noise which the fray occa- 

 sioned, was coming cautiously up. As soon as he saw me, 

 and in what company I was, he turned about and ran off 

 home, I after him, and shouting to increase his fear. On 

 scolding him for his cowardice, the old rogue begged that I 

 would forgive him, for that the sight of the snake had 

 positively turned him sick at stomach. 



