SNAKES 
but to water. His principle in life was always to do the 
worst thing and then you knew that nothing worse could 
happen — a topsy-turvy philosophy for which we all had 
to suffer. Emerging from the basin, we had two channels 
before us, one to the north-northeast, the other north- 
northwest. Gigantic palm trees such as we had seen along 
the river Arinos were now to be seen all along the banks 
of the river. We saw in the water not far from us a large 
sucuriu snake (Eunictes murinus ), fully six inches in 
diameter. It poked its head out of the water to gaze 
curiously into our canoe, and caused some excitement 
among my men. 
Another immense barrier of rocks with most trouble¬ 
some rapids extended from southwest to northeast right 
across the stream. That seemed a great place for snakes, 
especially in the narrow and tortuous channel which we 
followed, between a great island, Victor Emmanuel 
Island, and the left bank. We were going along fairly 
gaily when I saw a huge snake, another sucuriu , floating 
upon the water among the foliage and branches of a fallen 
tree. The section of the body which I could perceive 
measured fully two and one-half feet in diameter, and I 
must say that for one moment — we were only about 
twenty feet away from it — I was somewhat surprised, as 
my quickly calculating mind constructed in my imagina¬ 
tion a snake at least 100 feet long. My men immediately 
took to their rifles, and were about to open a fusillade, but 
I stopped them, not caring to disturb the sleep of so gigan¬ 
tic a reptile. It was with some relief that, as the canoe 
floated quietly a little farther, I perceived the head of 
the snake resting gracefully in a sound slumber upon a 
branch of the tree out of the water. The head was of more 
normal proportions. We landed a little distance away as 
quietly as possible, my men trembling all over with excite¬ 
ment and fear lest the reptile should wake up. Then, all 
together, they opened a fusillade until a bullet actually 
141 
