GREAT BOA. 
8? 
he not only dexterously finished the operation, but 
provided me, besides the skin, with above four gal- 
lons of fine clarified fat, or rather oil, though there 
was wasted perhaps as much more.” 
The adventure was finally concluded by the ne- 
groes, who cut the flesh of the snake into pieces on 
purpose to dress it ; from which they were deterred 
by the captain, who would not allow them to eat 
such disgusting food, notwithstanding they declared 
it was exceedingly good and wholesome. 
This monstrous snake, when he has fasted for 
any length of time, becomes most actively vo- 
racious, and springs upon the unfortunate animal 
who comes within his reach with inconceivable 
rapidity. However large the creature may be, his 
doom is fixed, and the power of flight denied him. 
He is confined within the folds of the snake’s 
enormous tail, who, contracting the muscles of his 
body in proportion to the resistance to be overcome, 
crushes the wretched victim in pieces, and then, 
covering the carcase with saliva, sucks it by de- 
grees into his stomach. In this manner one of the 
largest of the species has been said to manage a 
buffalo ; and we are shocked to add, that there is 
an instance upon record of a human being who fell 
a sacrifice to one of these monsters. A man be- 
longing to a Malay prow, which anchored for the 
night close to the island of Celebes, went on 
shore to look for betel nut, and on his return is 
supposed to have gone to sleep upon the beach. In 
the middle of the night his screams were heard by 
