s; and then rising, with a white and
terror-stricken face, he endeavored to await with fortitude the coming
of his cruel fate.

"But now a very remarkable thing happened. Harry, nearly petrified with
amazement, saw the lion and boa advance with savage fierceness upon each
other!

"Oh! then he thanked God in his heart! He carefully crept to one side,
and watched, with an eagle-like glance, what would happen next.

"With a wild roar and savage bound, the lion sprang upon the serpent,
and tried to tear him in pieces, while the boa, hissing like a thousand
geese, twisted himself, fold after fold, round the body of his enemy,
crushing him, squeezing him, and rolling over till his bones cracked.
The angry roar changed into a cry of despair and frenzy. Soon that cry
became weaker and weaker, fainter and fainter, then ceased
altogether--the lion was dead.

"The monstrous serpent, without waiting to lay the table, or call for
mustard, licked his prey all over, and then swallowed him whole.

"You will ask, perhaps, why Harry did not run away. He had two excellent
reasons. The first was, he did not know where in this part of the world
to run; he might find a tiger at the very next turn; and the second,
that he was too frightened to move.

"So Harry stood by and witnessed this ruthless, shocking spectacle, to
the end, his heart beating as if it would leap out of his breast; and
when the boa had finished his frightful meal, the poor little fellow
observed that the monster was so gorged, he could scarcely move, and
that in a few moments more he was fast asleep.

"'There is one good thing,' he said to himself, 'the awful thing don't
care to breakfast twice, so I am safe for the present.'

"As the boa seemed perfectly helpless, he conceived a splendid but bold
idea, for he was by no means a timid child.

"He approached and stamped upon the tail of the reptile, who remained
immovable; then he made a cord of a vine that was growing near, with a
running knot at the end, and slipping this round the boa's neck, and
drawing it with all his might, he strangled the serpent.

"Hardly had he concluded this brilliant achievement, when he heard the
galloping of horses. Terrified and trembling, he waited half in hope and
half in fear for what was to come, when in a few moments, to his great
joy, he beheld some officers of the marine service, whom he was sure
were Americans, approaching him.

"What was their astonishment at seeing a lit