ned her father and other members of
the family, and immediately after the cry she fainted. But she still
continued to clutch at the snake's neck, and although she was utterly
unconscious of anything surrounding her, she grasped it with such force
that the reptile was fairly strangled by her fingers. Her father
realized that it would be impossible to free her hand until
consciousness returned, and the indications were that it would not be
speedy in coming. So they released her fingers one by one, with a piece
of the hammock cord, and removed the dead body of the snake so that it
should be out of sight when she revived. Luckily, the creature had not
bitten her before she grasped it.

"It is not at all unusual for a man sleeping on the ground at night to
find, on waking, that a serpent has crawled in by his side, or curled
itself up on his breast for the sake of the warmth that his body
supplies. I have heard a story of a man who thus entertained an
unwelcome visitor. He waked during the night while lying flat on his
back, and felt something heavy and cold on his chest. He moved a little
as he waked, and his movement caused the snake that was lying on him to
raise its head. By the light of the camp fire the man saw his
predicament. His hair stood on end, and he could feel the blood
stiffening in his veins. He knew it would be some time before daylight,
and felt that he would lose his mind before morning, or perhaps die of
fear. He carried a knife in his belt, and decided, after careful
consideration, that his best plan was to reach for the weapon and kill
the snake where it lay.

"Slowly, very slowly, he worked his hand to his waist and drew his
knife. He could not avoid making some movement in doing so, and at each
movement the snake raised its head to ascertain the cause of the
disturbance; then the man became perfectly still until the reptile
subsided again.

"After the lapse of what seemed to be many hours, the man got his knife
and arm in readiness for action. Then he moved his body a little,
causing the serpent to lift its head once more. As it did so, the man
made a quick movement of his hand, and he declares that he never made a
quicker one in all his life. The snake's head was severed by the blow;
it fell to one side and the writhing body of the creature followed it.
At the same instant the man was on his feet, and he says that he danced
for a few minutes in a wild paroxysm of joy, and then fell to the ground