ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 285 



Sumiclirast, with infinite precaution, sliowed to his pupil the 

 tubular fangs, by means of which serpents inoculate the terrible 

 venom with which some of them have been endowed by nature. 



" When the reptile bites," said my friend, " its two fangs press 

 on a small bladder at their base, and the poison is thus injected 

 into the wound." 



Our naturalist rendered his explanation still clearer by press- 

 ing on one of the fangs, from the end of which oozed out an 

 almost imperceptible drop of hquid. 



"How is it that the serpent does not poison itself?" asked 

 Lucien. 



" In the first place, it does not chew its prey ; and, secondly, 

 its venom is only dangerous when it penetrates direct into the 

 blood ; and a man, if there is no scratch in his mouth or in the 

 digestive tube, can swallow the poison with impunity, although 

 a very small quantity introduced into his veins would cause im- 

 mediate death." 



After our meal, which consisted of turtle and some palm 

 cabbage, which in flavour resembles an artichoke, I set the 

 example of commencing work. In less than two hours, the 

 materials for the raft had been carried to the edge of the stream, 

 and the frail bark, which was to carry us down to the plains, was 

 constructed and afloat. A little before sunset, I'Encuerado, provided 

 with a long pole for a boat-hook, pushed it out on the water to 

 ascertain its powers of buoyancy; and the trial having been judged 

 satisfactory, the raft was moored, and we all laid down in front 

 of our " Villa " to enjoy a siesta. 



At last, when everything was arranged for the voyage, 

 I'Encuerado, naked down to his waist, went behind as pilot. 

 We gave a farewell salute to the " Villa," by a loud hurrah, 

 which seemed to frighten our menagerie, and with a last look 

 at the forest in which I had spent so many miserable hours, the 

 mooring was cut, and the raft floated slowly and silently down 



the current. 



The raft soon drifted into a lagoon, covered with waders and 

 web-footed birds, which scarcely moved as we passed them, and 

 some time was lost before we could regain the course of the 



