It was so hot down on the sands that we agreed to move half way up the
cliff, where a cool breeze from the sea blew morning and evening. The
brook fell over a shelf of rock, about ten feet in depth, and then lay
calm and quiet in a fair round pool. Two or three palms were on one side
and a large Spanish chestnut on the other, giving us ample shade. We had
a lovely view of the whole bay, and were, as we thought, quite secure
from any dangers above, the rock being very precipitate, but the dogs
never came home, which gave us very great uneasiness. While the others
were busily employed running up and down to bring our goods and
chattels, to the new abode, I, and the two little girls arranged them as
they were brought up. They were merrily singing on one side of the
brook, clearing a place for the tent to be placed, while I, on the
other, was arranging seats for a dining place. Suddenly the song ceased
abruptly. Looking up to see the cause, as well as that of a sudden
crashing noise, I saw the little girls gazing in speechless amazement at
the great chestnut tree, and again, without apparent cause, I beheld the
huge branches shake and quiver like an aspen tree in the storm. I sprang
across the stream, and stood before the little girls. From between the
branches there appeared and disappeared a horrible head, with glittering
eyes and forked tongue, and, as I gazed still more the whole tree seemed
to me to be enveloped in the folds of an enormous serpent.
The little girls now began to utter shriek upon shriek, which brought
Serena with the speed of a lapwing to our side. "Take the children
away," I whispered, "fly, fly, quickly." "Run, little ones, run," she
said, feeling there was danger, but hardly realizing the full horrors of
it. They obeyed her, and, as their little forms appeared from behind us,
fleeing for their lives, the monster looked out still further from the
groaning tree, his diamond eyes fixed upon their receding frames.
Fold after fold seemed rapidly unwinding from the branches. In the agony
of the moment Serena flung a hatchet she had in her hand at the head she
now for the first time saw. A frightful hiss, and a loathsome and deadly
odour, told us it had taken effect. Again it coiled itself round the
tree, which rocked and groaned with its furious movements. Faint with
fear and the horrible smell, I knew not my own voice, as I said to
Serena, "Fly, child, fly, and send help; and you also." She said, "Nay,
one must stay, it must have one victim to save the others." "No, no, let
us both go, I will not go without you, Serena, I command you go, it
comes nearer and nearer." "No, no, I will die with you." She threw her
arms round me, burying her face in my neck, to avoid seeing the dreadful
jaws opening so near us. I flung her off, and thought would it not be
better for us to be dashed to pieces over the rocks than to be grasped
in those deadly coils. "We will both fly," I said; we turned and fled. I
looked behind; he was not more than thirty yards from us. I tried to
shout and scare him with my voice, but all sound died away in my throat.
My heart seemed to stop beating; my utterance to be choked. Everything
seemed to be moving with the same angry springing motion of the snake.
Nothing stopped our flight; heedless of every impediment we bounded over
stones, bushes, gulleys, rocks; but each glance showed him advancing. We
now came to an open smooth platform of turf, from whence I knew there
was a precipitous fall of twenty feet, unless we hit upon the right spot
to descend. "We must throw ourselves down," I whispered. "Anywhere with
you," she answered, "but, oh horrible fate, was that another monster
just before us or the same?" No, there was but one, he was before us,
round us, everywhere; and he knew he had us safe, for his eyes grew
larger and more glowing as he bounded and leaped on every side of us,
each bound and each leap bringing him nearer. Was there no escape? Yes,
almost before I saw it myself the monster's quick eye has discerned two
horns rising with the sloping ground, and with one bound which threw us
both down, he darted forward. A rushing deadly wind seemed to blow over
us, and, ere it was past, the crashing bones, and dying bellow of the
cow gave us warning of the horrible fate from which she had saved us.
We helped each other to rise, and scrambling down the rock, we never
stopped or spoke until we sunk breathless by the tents, where the little
girls had only just arrived. But it was many minutes ere we could tell
the frightful scene going on above. We clung together and all drew
within the tent, while Smart went to summon the captain. The poisonous
breath of the monstrous creature made Serena and myself the victims of
successive fainting fits, we had the greatest difficulty in swallowing
anything, and only revived under the influence of strong salts, and
constant fanning. Our features assumed the paleness of death, and a cold
dew rolled in large drops from our foreheads. The moment we raised our
heads dreadful sickness overcame us, and when the captain and his men
arrived, we were totally unable to give any particulars beyond the
creature being monstrous and the cow destroyed. The captain desired
every one to keep as quiet as possible, and directed the sides of the
tent to be raised to give us air and our faces and heads to be sponged
with cold vinegar and water. He entreated no one to be alarmed as the
serpent would not leave his prey, and might be a day or two swallowing
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 good kick with my thick nailed boots for daring to
think of eating you." Gatty, from a similar feeling, had indulged
herself with chopping the tail into little bits, and even the gentle and
sweet Sybil had bestowed some very hard words, let alone blows, on the
inanimate body. "Well! now then," said I, "captain, I wish to go on
board as soon as possible." "Why? why? why?" sounded on all sides.
"Because there may be more of these snakes on the island," said I, with
a shudder.
"No, Madam, no, you may rest assured, the only enemy you have on this
island is now dead. I can assure you I have until now been much puzzled
to account for the lack of living things on this luxuriant and lonely
island, save birds. The sight of this anaconda has solved the mystery;
he has depopulated it (if I may so say) of every creeping or four-footed
thing. Nay, I am also certain it has destroyed its own kind too. By
what means it became of so monstrous a size I know not; but, having
become so, it was lord or master of the island; moreover, I am certain
that of late its food has run extremely short; nothing but extreme
hunger could have driven it down those sharp rocks, in search of us, the
prey it saw below it." In many places it was bleeding besides the wound
given it by the hatchet, and three or four inches of skin had been
rubbed off in various parts, evidently quite fresh, and done in descent.
Also, if it had not been weakened for want of food, such an enormous
creature would not have been so long demolishing the cow.
"But, captain, can you account for its making all those hideous gambols
at us, and not springing at us directly as it did at poor Daisy." "Yes,
Madam, it had never seen the likes of you before. Your clothes made it
fearful; but they never attack people unless angry or frantic from
hunger, as I am sure he was. But, to set you at rest, Madam, to-morrow,
spite of all my anxiety about the ship, every man of us will join
parties, and we will go from one end of the island to another. We'll not
leave a bush unexplored, or a corner unvisited, and then I know your
mind will be easy." "I thank you, captain, that it will. Now, give the
men each some grog, for I see them coming down, and let us all have
supper and go to bed."