ortal wound, and the imminence of the danger seemed to afford
me the resolution I required.

He was close behind, and in a direct line with the tree under which we
had dined, and I was about twenty yards from it. Directly his head
darted round and in front of the tree, making a good mark, I let fly the
arrow direct, as I thought, for his eye, hoping, by penetrating his
brain, to settle him at once. But as he moved his head at that moment,
the arrow went into his open jaws, one of which it penetrated, and going
deep into the tree behind, pinned his head close to the bark.

As soon as the huge creature found himself hurt, he wound his enormous
body round the trunk, and with his desperate exertions, swayed the great
tree backwards and forwards, as I would have done one of its smallest
branches. Fearful that he would liberate himself before I could save my
senseless companion, as quick as possible I discharged all my arrows
into his body, which took effect in various places. His exertions then
became so terrible, that I hastily snatched up Mrs Reichardt in my
arms, and with a fright that seemed to give me supernatural strength, I
ran as fast as I could the shortest way to our hut. Fortunately, before
I had gone half a mile, my companion came to her senses, and was able to
continue her flight.

We got home at last, half dead with fatigue and fright; nevertheless the
first thing we did was to barricade all the entrances. We left
loop-holes to reconnoitre; and there we sat for hours after our arrival,
waiting the monster's approach in fear and trembling.

We did not go to sleep that night. We did not, either of us, go out the
next day. The next night one watched while the other slept. The second
day my courage had so far returned, I wanted to go and look after the
constant subject of our conversation. But Mrs Reichardt dissuaded me.

She told me it was an enormous python, or serpent of the boa species,
that are common in the northern coast of America. Probably it had been
brought to the island on a drifted tree, and being so prodigious a
reptile, the wounds it had received were not likely to do it much harm,
and it would be no doubt lurking about, ready to pounce upon either of
us directly we appeared.

On the third day, nothing having occurred to increase our alarm, I
determined to know the worst; so I got by stealth out of the house, and,
armed with a fresh bow, a good supply of arrows, a hatchet slung at my