CHARLES WATERTON, ESQ. li 
took the alarm, and immediately put his helm apo-rt. 
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 get 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 
