e heels of our guide. Presently he
stopped, and uttering an exclamation, threw aside the hands of the young
Indians and dashed forward. We followed, when, what was our horror to
see, under a grove of mimosa bushes, Arthur in the grasp of a huge
serpent, which had wound its coils round his body. I shrieked with
dismay, for I thought he was dead. He moved neither hand nor foot,
seemingly unconscious of what had occurred. The recluse dashed forward.
John and I followed with our axes, and True went tearing boldly on
before us. It was an anaconda. Already its huge mouth was open to
seize our young companion. Without a moment's hesitation the recluse
sprang at the monster, and seizing its jaws with a power I should
scarcely have supposed he possessed, wrenched them back, and held them
fast in spite of the creature's efforts to free itself. "Draw him out!"
shouted the recluse; and John, seizing Arthur, drew him forth from amid
the vast coils, while I with my axe struck blow after blow at its body
and tail. The recluse did not let go his hold, although the creature,
unwinding its tail, threatened to encircle him in its coils. Now it
seemed as if it would drag him to the ground, but he recovered his feet,
still bending back the head till I could hear the bones cracking. I
meantime had been hacking at its tail, and at length a fortunate blow
cut it off. John, placing Arthur at a little distance, came back to our
assistance, and in another minute the reptile lay dead at our feet, when
True flew at it and tore away furiously at its body.

"Your young friend has had a narrow escape," said the recluse, as he
knelt down and took Arthur's hand; "he breathes, though, and is not
aware of what has happened, for the anaconda must have seized him while
he was unconscious."

We ran to the river. The dry shells of several large nuts lay near. In
these we brought some water, and bathed Arthur's brow and face. "He
seems unhurt by the embrace of the anaconda," remarked the recluse, "but
probably suffered from the heat of the sun."

After this he lifted Arthur in his arms, and bore him up the bank. John
and I followed with a shell of water. The contrast between the hot
sandy bank and the shady wood was very great. As we again applied the
water, Arthur opened his eyes. They fell on the recluse, on whom he
kept them steadily fixed with a look of surprise.

"I thought John and Harry were with me," he murmured out. "I heard
t