CIRCUS DAYS 31 
responsible for the man’s death and that I had 
acted on his suggestion, to save the lives of the 
natives. As the man had slashed about eight people 
before I shot, the Resident ended his investigation 
by thanking me and renewing my permission to 
live in the Malay quarter. I returned to the hadji’s 
house more popular with the natives than ever 
before. 
A native came running to the hadji’s house one 
day with the news that he had seen a big snake: He 
said that it was at least fifty feet long and as big 
asatree. Knowing the Malay habit of exaggerat- 
ing, I put it down as about twenty feet long; but I 
gathered a crew of natives and we built a crate 
from the limbs of trees and bamboo, binding it 
together with green rattan. According to the 
native’s tale, the snake had just swallowed a pig, 
and so, knowing that where he had first been seen, 
he would remain, sleeping and digesting his meal, 
we postponed the capture until the next morning. 
A python always kills his food by coiling around 
it and crushing it to death; then he swallows it 
whole, slobbering so that it will pass his throat. 
During the digestive process, he generally becomes 
torpid and, without putting up much fight, submits 
to capture. 
Before we went out for the snake, I told each 
man what he was to do, explaining carefully how 
I intended to get the snake into the crate. When 
I was sure that they understood, we started into the 
