42 BEING LOST IN THE FOREST. 
Its powerful jaws can open so wide as to 
swallow a deer, or even, it is said, a buffalo, 
at one mouthful. This great snake, strong 
as it is, does not move very quickly, and 
catches its prey by cunning. It lies in the 
track where the deer are accustomed to pass, 
and as they go by, it catches hold of them by 
two sharp horny spurs, that grow upon its 
body, near to the tail. 
The soldier knew this snake as well as he 
had done the other, and felt very anxious to 
get out of its way. So he crept cautiously 
back ; treading as lightly as he could on the 
fallen trunks, which crumbled to pieces under 
his feet ; and dreading every minute to be 
bitten by the snakes that lurked inside them. 
And now, to his great joy, he came upon 
the banks of a river, and the sight was very 
reviving to him. He could quench his thirst 
and bathe his temples ; and he hoped, by fol- 
lowing its course, to meet with natives, or to 
find his way out of the forest. He had only 
gone a few yards, when he heard a loud 
chattering over head, and looking up saw a 
crowd of monkeys grinning and grimacing at 
him. They were a merry group, and seemed 
