SOUTH AMERICA. 
191 
I now took my knife, determining to cut away the third 
woodbine, and break the twigs in the gentlest manner ^ OUKN1 ' -- 
7 co Prepares 
possible, till I could get a view of bis bead. One t0 s ra PP le 
negro stood guard close behind me with the lance; snake, 
and near him the other with a cutlass. The cutlass 
which I had taken from the first negro was on the 
ground close by me in case of need. 
After working in dead silence for a quarter of an 
hour, with one knee all the time on the ground, I 
had cleared away enough to see his head. It ap¬ 
peared coming out betwixt the first and second coil 
of his body, and was flat on the ground. This was 
the very position I wished it to be in. 
I rose in silence and retreated very slowly, making 
a sign to the negroes to do the same. The dog was 
sitting at a distance in mute observance. I could 
now read in the face of the negroes, that they con¬ 
sidered this as a very unpleasant affair : and they 
made another attempt to persuade me to let them go 
for a gun. I smiled in a good-natured manner, and 
made a feint to cut them down with the weapon I 
had in my hand. This was all the answer I made 
to their request, and they looked very uneasy. 
It must be observed, we were now about twenty 
' V 
yards from the snake’s den. I now ranged the 
negroes behind me, and told him who stood next to 
me, to lay hold of the lance the moment I struck 
the snake, and that the other must attend my move¬ 
ments. It now only remained to take their cutlasses 
from them, for I was sure, if I did not disarm them, 
they would be tempted to strike the snake in time of 
