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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 26, 20 December 1849, Page 3

An Encounter with a Boa-Constric-tor.-I was just loading my fowling-piece, when I observed an object on the while mud of the river, which gleamed in the sun's rays like a coil of filver: it was a serpent basking in the sun. We rowed toward the spot, and Count Oriolla fired at it from a distance of thirty 10 forly paces: he missed it with the first barrel, but wounded it in the tail with the second, which was charged with large shot N0.2. This seemedtorouse thecrcature: our boat grounded almost at the same moment, nlittle higher up than where the serpent lay, but some intervening bushes prevented our keeping it in sight. We all cageily jumped into the river, followed by most of the crew: Counts Oriolla and Bismark were overboard in a minute, but as the real depth of the water seemed to me very problematical, I leaped quickly on to a withered branch of an enormous prostrate tree, which serre.l as a bridge to the shore. Although I had little hope of cominf up with the serpent, I advanced as fast as I could along the slippery trunk,—a thing by no means easy, on account of my Jar»e India-r-jbber shoe 3, which the swollen state of my feet had obliged me to wear for gome weeks past. Just then I heard the report of a gun on my left, and instantly jumping into the morass, warm from the sun's heat, sinking into it up to my knee at every step, and leaving one of my shoes in the mud, I hastened in the direction of the sound. Count Oriolla, who was the first to leap out cf the boat, ran to the spot where he bad wounded ihe serpent and caught a sight of the reptile as it was trying to escape into the forest. — Suddenly it glided into the mud under the trunk of a prostrate tree, and at that instant tSa count struck it with a cutlass, winch, however, merely raised the skin : he then threw himself at full length upon the creature as it wa< sliding away, and thrust the steel into its back, a few feet from the tail. I lie Count vainly tried to stop the monstrous reptile which dragged bim along, though the cutlass had pierced its body and entered the cround beneath. It was fortunate the serpent did not bend backwards, and entwine its bold pursuer in its folds ; nor less so that Count Bismark, the only one who was armed with a cun, came up at this critical moment; climbing over the trunk of the tree, he saw

the enemy, which, hissing, lifted its head erect in the air. and, with gteat coolness, gave it a shot from the muzzle of the piece through the head, which laid it apparently lifeless on the ground. My companions described the creature's strength from one side to another in immense folds, aud flinging its head from one side to another in its efforts to escape the welUainied stroke of Count Oriolla ; but a few moments after the shot, which carried away its lower jaw and a part of the head, the serpent seemed to urouse from its stupefaction, and Count Bismark hastened back to the boat tol fetch Mr. Theremin's gun. All this was the work of a few moments : I had hardly left the boat two or three minutes, when I stood beside Count Oriolla, on tlie trunk of the tree, with the serpent coiled up in un unshapen mass at its roots. I could scarcely wait to hear what had passed, but seized a heavy pole from one of the men who gathered round, to have a thrust at the creature's head. Raising itself up, it now seemed to summon its last strength j but it vainly strove to reach us oil the tree. I stood ready, armed with a cutlass, to thrust into its jaws, the Count stirred up the serpent provokiag it to the fight; the creature's strength, however, was exhausted. Count Bismark now returned and shattered its skull with another shot, and it died in strong convulsions. Though I could not share with my valiant companions the honour of the day, I wis fortunate enough to arrive in time for the " hallali." Our prey proved to be a largo boa constrictor# measur« ing sixteen feet two inches in length, and one foot nine inches in circumference •• the sailors called it a " sucuriju." In skinning and dissecting it, a dozen membranaceous bags or eggs were found in its body, containing young serpents, some still alive, and from one or two feet long. The Counts kindly presented me with the beautiful skin, which was spotted white, yellow, and black, aud covered with small scales; this trophy of their valour now forms the chief ornament of my residence at Monbijou- As soon ns the task of skinning was accomplished, which the thickness of the animal's scaly covering rendered very difficult, we again set siil, soon after twelve o'clock, and continued the ascent of the Amazon, carrying off the skin of the boa in triumph, spread out to dry upon the roof of our boat.—Prince Adalberts's Travels. [The Boa Constrictor is the largest and most powerful of the serpent tribe. It i« ' found (chiefly in India and South America) ' from five and twenty to five and thiity feet iu length. It is not venomous, but it is exceed- ' ingly strong and ferocious, grasping its prey ' with jaws armed witli a double row of terrible ' te th; "It twists its folds around its victims ; in that way crusliiug oxen to death, and breaking their bones in pieces. It then covers its food with saliva, and, by a miraculous power of distension, swallows the animal entire, i After such a repast it remains in a torpid state for several weeks.]