so,
alleging that the serpent might dart in and seize some one before we
could kill it. Not till John had insisted upon it would he consent.
"Oh, my dear young masters, do take care!" he exclaimed. "If you would
but wait, perhaps the creature would crawl away. Suppose you miss it,
you do not know what may happen."

"Now," cried John, "calm your fears, and open the door."

Domingos on this pulled open the door, springing back himself at the
same time, while John and I stepped forward with our rifles, ready to
fire. The serpent was gone. We looked about in every direction. It
was not pleasant to know that so dangerous a monster was in our
neighbourhood. Domingos said he was sure it was hid away somewhere, and
Duppo agreed with him. We hunted about anxiously, but nowhere could we
discover it. Believing that it had altogether gone away, we told Ellen
and her companions that they might venture out. Ellen came fearlessly,
but Maria and the Indian girl were evidently far from satisfied, and I
saw them glancing round anxiously in every direction. However, as the
snake did not appear, we had breakfast, and then went down to work at
the canoe. John told me that he had engaged four Indians to paddle her,
and that he expected them that morning. We were working away, when we
heard a low cry, and Oria was seen running towards us with looks of
terror in her countenance. She uttered a few hurried words to her
brother, the meaning of which we could not understand; but he soon
showed us by signs that something had happened at the hut. On getting
near--for it was concealed where we were at work--we saw, to our dismay,
the boa-constrictor coiled as before round one of the outer supports,
and evidently intent on making an entrance into the hut. The door was
closed. We heard Ellen's and Maria's voices calling from within. We
had unfortunately left our guns in the verandah, and could not get at
them without approaching dangerously near to the huge reptile. Every
moment I dreaded to see it break through the slight door. John and
Domingos had hatchets in their belts, but we were possessed of no other
weapons. How to get rid of the creature was the question. We shouted
at the top of our voices, hoping to frighten it away, but our cries had
no effect. Every moment we knew, too, that it might come down and
attack us. Ellen and Maria were naturally in a great state of alarm.
They had secured all their pets, though John sug