After these hair-breadth escapes from murder, the party returned in safety to Mosul.

A BATTLE WITH SNAKES.

Since the exhibitions in London of the two Hindoo snake-charmers—­the first we believe who ever visited Europe—­everything relating to serpents seems to have acquired additional interest.  Many facts regarding the nature and habits of the various species have been published, affording much information and still greater astonishment.

Waterton, in his “Wanderings in South America and the Antilles, in 1812-24,” relates some stories of so marvellous a character, that, coming from a less authentic source, their truth might be reasonably doubted.

While in the region of Mibri Hill, Mr. Waterton long sought in vain for a serpent of large size, and finally, offered a reward to the negroes if they would find him one.  A few days afterward one of the natives, followed by his little dog, came to him with the information that a snake of respectable dimensions had been discovered a short distance up the hill; and armed with an eight feet lance, and accompanied by two negroes with cutlasses and the dog, he at once started to take a look at it.  Mr. Waterton states that he was barefoot, with an old hat, check shirt and trousers on, and a pair of braces to keep them up.  His snakeship was pointed out as lying at the roots of a large tree which had been torn up by a whirlwind.  But the remainder of the story shall be given in the traveler’s own words: 

I advanced up to the place slow and cautious.  The snake was well concealed, but at last I made him out; it was a coulacanara, not poisonous, but large enough to have crushed any of us to death.  On measuring him afterward, he was something more than fourteen feet long.  This species of snake is very rare, and much thicker in proportion to its length than any other snake in the forest.  A coulacanara of fourteen feet in length, is as thick as a common boa of twenty-four feet.  After skinning this snake, I could easily get my head into his mouth, as the singular formation of the jaws admits of wonderful extension.

On ascertaining the size of the serpent, I retired slowly the way I came, and promised four dollars to the negro who had shown it to me, and one dollar 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 that 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.  Taking, however, a cutlass from one of the negroes, and then ranging both of the sable slaves behind me, I told them to follow me, and that I would cut them down if they offered to fly.