I 
190 
THIRD 
JOURNR1 
WANDERINGS IN 
came, and promised four dollars to the negro who 
- had shown it to me, and one to the other who had 
joined us. Aware that the day was on the decline, 
and that the approach of night would be detrimental 
to the dissection, a thought struck me that I could 
take him alive. I imagined if I could strike him 
with the lance behind the head, and pin him to the 
ground, I might succeed in capturing him. When 
I told this to the negroes, they begged and entreated 
me to let them go for a gun, and bring more force, 
as they were sure the snake would kill some of us. 
I had been at the siege of Troy for nine years, and 
it would not do now to carry back to Greece, u nil 
decimo nisi dedecus anno.” I mean, I had been in 
search of a large serpent for years, and now having 
come up with one, it did not become me to turn soft. 
So, taking a cutlass from one of the negroes, and 
then ranging both the sable slaves behind me, I told 
them to follow me, and that I would cut them down 
if they offered to fly. I smiled as I said this, but 
they shook their heads in silence, and seemed to 
have but a bad heart of it. 
When we got up to the place, the serpent had not 
stirred, but I could see nothing of his head, and I 
judged by the folds of his body that it must be at 
the farthest side of his den. A species of woodbine 
had formed a complete mantle over the branches of 
the fallen tree, almost impervious to the rain, or the 
rays of the sun. Probably he had resorted to this 
sequestered place for a length of time, as it bore 
marks of an ancient settlement. 
