it, during which time we were quite safe. And afterwards in his gorged
state he would be an easy victim. Towards evening Benjie crept up as
near the spot as he dared, and came down reporting the snake was still
occupied in reducing the poor cow to a shapeless mass, and had not even
begun to swallow his intended meal. Even his dark skin shewed the fear
and horror he was in, his look being quite pallid, and his eyeballs
livid, his teeth chattering. He declared the snake to be the most
monstrous of its kind ever seen, and called it an anaconda. On the
second evening the captain, Smart, and Benjie all went cautiously up.
When they returned the good captain seemed unable to express his mixed
feelings, amazement at its large size, horror at what might have been
our fate, thankfulness at our merciful escape, all overcame him. He
could only wring our hands, and loudly and earnestly thank God.

After a while he took the two little girls in his arms, and said, "Oh!
my darlings, my little precious ones, had you found a horrible grave in
those dreadful jaws, swallowed as if you had been two little innocent
lambs, I must have laid my head on the nearest stone, and burst my heart
with sorrow." Smart openly blubbered like a great school boy as he
described to Oscar, "that it was the awfullest worm he ever seed, and
that the poor cow was nothing but a bloody, broken mass enough to break
the heart of a toad in a stone." It had only swallowed half its meal,
and the tail was still so active and full of muscular movement that the
captain did not deem it safe to try to destroy it till the next evening.

He particularly requested Schillie and every body that could, to come up
and see the creature before the men cut it up, saying, they might live
one thousand years, and never see such a sight again. So they all set
off, leaving Serena and I to the care of Hargrave, who declared that if
St. George and the Dragon were fighting up above, she would not leave
her mistress to see them. Schillie came back very soon, and folded me in
her arms, while the tears rained down her cheeks; not a word said she,
but so unusual a sight told me all she felt.

Bye and bye all came down, poor Madame clasping her hands, invoking
blessings and showering kisses on her pupil Serena. The little ones were
in full fuss, especially the two who had first seen the snake, and who
now detailed all their fears and feelings at full length. "Mama," said
Felix, "I gave him a go