In this plight the Dutchman found him as he was going
in his canoe up the river, and sent a ball through his head.
On ascertaining the size of the serpent which the negro had just found, I
retired slowly the way I came, and promised four dollars to the negro who
had shown it to me, and one to the other who had joined us. Aware that the
day was on the decline, and that the approach of night would be detrimental
to the dissection, a thought struck me that I could take him alive. I
imagined if I could strike him with the lance behind the head, and pin him
to the ground, I might succeed in capturing him. When I told this to the
negroes they begged and entreated me to let them go for a gun and bring
more force, as they were sure the snake would kill some of us.
I had been at the siege of Troy for nine years, and it would not do now to
carry back to Greece "nil decimo nisi dedecus anno." I mean I had been in
search of a large serpent for years, and now having come up with one it did
not become me to turn soft. So, taking a cutlass from one of the negroes,
and then ranging both the sable slaves behind me, I told them to follow me,
and that I would cut them down if they offered to fly.
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