CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. li 



took the alarm, and immediately put his helm aport. 

 This forced the vessel's head to the stream, and I 

 was left hanging to the bush with the snake close to 

 me, not having been able to recover my balance as 

 the vessel veered from the land. I kept firm hold 

 of the branch to which I was clinging, and was three 

 times over-head in the water below, presenting an 

 easy prey to any alligator that might have been on 

 the look-out for a meal. Luckily, a man who was 

 standing near the pilot, on seeing what had hap- 

 pened, rushed to the helm, seized hold of it, and put 

 it hard a-starboard, in time to bring the head of the 

 vessel back again* As they were pulling me up, I 

 saw that the snake was evidently too far gone to do 

 mischief ; and so I laid hold of it, and brought it 

 aboard with me, to the horror and surprise of the 

 crew. It measured eight feet in length. As soon 

 as I had got a change of clothes, I killed it, and 

 made a dissection of the head, 



I would sometimes go ashore in the swamps to 

 shoot maroudies, which are somewhat related to the 

 pheasant ; but they were very shy, and it required 

 considerable address to g^t within shot of them. In 

 these little excursions, I now and then smarted for my 

 pains. More than once, I got among some hungry 

 leeches, which made pretty free with my legs. The 

 morning after I had had the adventure with the la- 

 barri snake, a cayman slowly passed our vessel. All 

 on board agreed that this tyrant of the fresh waters 

 could not be less than thirty feet long. 



On arriving at Angustura, the capital of the Ori- 

 noco, we were received with great politeness by the 

 c 2 



