The jararaca was alert and vicious.  It partly coiled itself on the table, threatening the bystanders.  I put the big black serpent down on the table four or five feet from the enemy and headed in its direction.  As soon as I let go with my hands it glided toward where the threatening, formidable-looking lance-head lay stretched in a half coil.  The mussurama displayed not the slightest sign of excitement.  Apparently it trusted little to its eyes, for it began to run its head along the body of the jararaca, darting out its flickering tongue to feel just where it was, as it nosed its way up toward the head of its antagonist.  So placid were its actions that I did not at first suppose that it meant to attack, for there was not the slightest exhibition of anger or excitement.

It was the jararaca that began the fight.  It showed no fear whatever of its foe, but its irritable temper was aroused by the proximity and actions of the other, and like a flash it drew back its head and struck, burying its fangs in the forward part of the mussurama’s body.  Immediately the latter struck in return, and the counter-attack was so instantaneous that it was difficult to see just what had happened.  There was tremendous writhing and struggling on the part of the jararaca; and then, leaning over the knot into which the two serpents were twisted, I saw that the mussurama had seized the jararaca by the lower jaw, putting its own head completely into the wide-gaping mouth of the poisonous snake.  The long fangs were just above the top of the mussurama’s head; and it appeared, as well as I could see, that they were once again driven into the mussurama; but without the slightest effect.  Then the fangs were curved back in the jaw, a fact which I particularly noted, and all effort at the offensive was abandoned by the poisonous snake.

Meanwhile the mussurama was chewing hard, and gradually shifted its grip, little by little, until it got the top of the head of the jararaca in its mouth, the lower jaw of the jararaca being spread out to one side.  The venomous serpent was helpless; the fearsome master of the wild life of the forest, the deadly foe of humankind, was itself held in the grip of death.  Its cold, baleful serpent’s eyes shone, as evil as ever.  But it was dying.  In vain it writhed and struggled.  Nothing availed it.

Once or twice the mussurama took a turn round the middle of the body of its opponent, but it did not seem to press hard, and apparently used its coils chiefly in order to get a better grip so as to crush the head of its antagonist, or to hold the latter in place.  This crushing was done by its teeth; and the repeated bites were made with such effort that the muscles stood out on the mussurama’s neck.  Then it took two coils round the neck of the jararaca and proceeded deliberately to try to break the backbone of its opponent by twisting the head round.  With this purpose it twisted its own head and neck round so that the lighter-colored surface was uppermost; and indeed at one time it looked as if it had made almost a complete single spiral revolution of its own body.  It never for a moment relaxed its grip except to shift slightly the jaws.