e gun. Mass' forget dat dis poor nigga am runaway."

I understood his meaning, and lowered the piece.

"B'side," continued he, "I'se got somethin' show mass' yet--he like see
curious thing--he like see de big snake trick?"

I replied in the affirmative.

"Well, den, please, mass', hold dis stick. I for something go. Jes now
berry curious plant I see--berry curious--berry scace dat plant. I seed
it in de cane-brake. Catch 'old, mass', while I go get um."

I took hold of the sapling, and held it as desired, though not without
some apprehension of the hideous reptile that curled and writhed at my
feet. I had no need to fear, however. The fork was exactly across the
small of the creature's neck, and it could not raise its head to strike
me. Large as it was, there was no danger from anything but its fangs;
for the _crotalus_, unlike serpents of the genus _constrictor_,
possesses but a very feeble power of compression.

Gabriel had gone off among the bushes, and in a few minutes I saw him
returning. He carried in his hand a plant which, as before, he had
pulled up by the roots. Like the former, it was a herbaceous plant, but
of a very different appearance. The leaves of this one were
heart-shaped and acuminate, its stem sinuous, and its flowers of a dark
purple colour.

As the black approached, I saw that he was chewing some parts both of
the leaves and root. What did he mean to do?

I was not left long in suspense. As soon as he had arrived upon the
ground, he stooped down, and spat a quantity of the juice over the head
of the snake. Then, taking the sapling out of my hand, he plucked it up
and flung it away.

To my dismay, the snake was now set free; and I lost no time in
springing backward, and mounting upon the log.

Not so my companion, who once more stooped down, caught hold of the
hideous reptile, fearlessly raised it from the ground, and flung it
around his neck as coolly as if it had been a piece of rope!

The snake made no effort to bite him. Neither did it seem desirous of
escaping from his grasp. It appeared rather to be stupefied, and
without the power of doing injury!

After playing with it for some moments, the Bambarra threw it back to
the ground. Even there it made no effort to escape!

The charmer now turned to me, and said, in a tone of triumph, "Now,
mass' Edward, you shall hab rebenge. Look at dis!"

As he spoke he pressed his thumb against the fauces of the serpent,
unt