d the skin to
make dagger sheaths of. It is unnecessary to say that the wild boar
was not forgotten, although it was a prey that had cost us but little
trouble to secure. One day an Indian surprised one of these reptiles
asleep, after it had swallowed an enormous deer. Its size was so great,
that a buffalo waggon would have been necessary to transport it to the
village. The Indian cut it in pieces, and contented himself with as
much as he could carry off. Having been informed of this, I sent after
the remains, and my people brought me a piece about eight feet long,
and so large in circumference that the skin, when dried, enveloped the
tallest man like a cloak. I presented it to my friend Hamilton Lindsay.

I had not yet seen any of these largest sized serpents alive, when,
one afternoon, crossing the mountains with two of my shepherds, our
attention was drawn to the constant barking of my dogs, which seemed
to be assailing some animal that stood upon its defence. We at first
thought that it was a buffalo that they had roused from its lair, and
approached the spot with due caution. My dogs were dispersed along the
brink of a deep ravine, in which was an enormous boa constrictor. The
monster raised his head to a height of five or six feet, directing it
from one edge to the other of the ravine, and menacing his assailants
with his forked tongue; but the dogs, more active than he was, easily
avoided his attacks. My first impulse was to shoot him; but then it
occurred to me to take him alive, and to send him to France. Assuredly
he would have been the most monstrous boa that had ever been seen
there. To carry my design into execution we manufactured nooses of
cane, strong enough to resist the efforts of the most powerful wild
buffalo. With great precaution we succeeded in passing one of our
nooses round the boa's neck; then we tied him tightly to a tree,
in such a manner as to keep his head at its usual height--about six
feet from the ground. This done, we crossed to the other side of the
ravine, and threw another noose over him, which we secured like the
first. When he felt himself thus fixed at both ends, he coiled and
writhed, and grappled several little trees which grew within his reach
along the edge of the ravine. Unluckily for him everything yielded
to his efforts: he tore up the young trees by the roots, broke off
the branches, and dislodged enormous stones, round which he sought in
vain to obtain the hold or point o