The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-07-07

had the stories 0t the two men and they showed us where the COW had stood in the boat, VIC supposed their | fright had caused them to exAggerate Indeed, some of the natives with us indulged in ally winks and mods, and finally expressed their belief that the fellows had sold the COW at some vil- lage and invented the snake story to let themselves out.
 It was ten o'clock the next forenoon V hen We reached tho spot. We had our guns ready to give the anaconda a warm reception, but he did not show up. We, however, found evidences that the natives had been telling us the truth about the COW. At one spot large, heavy body had been dragged through the reeds and grass, and we found hair from the COW clinging here and there. The snake had retired with its victim, aud we landed about mile below the spot and went into camp. Two black fellows then beat up to the spot where the reptile could be looked for, and In little time they found him. They dared not approach closely, and therefore were not posi- tive whether the snake had begun it's feast. The big snakes do not always eat what they kill They attack be- cause they are disturbed or think themselves attacked. This serpent might have attacked the COW because he thought the boat was about to in wade his domain, and he might not touch the body after dragging 1t to land. We waited two whole days be- fore sending out the scouts again, and they returned in a short time and re, ported that the snake had left the car cass of the COW and gone off. We all went up to view the remains. When they were dragged out into the open was astonished to see to what state they had been reduced. In life the COW was of ordinary size, but without horns. The body before us did not seem larger than calf's. We could not, in feeling over it with our hands, find what appeared to be single solid bone. It was as if fiat stone had been laid on the body and then weights piled on until it had been mashed fiat.
 After beating around for a time one of the natives found the fresh trail ot the snake leading to the upper end of the marsh, and 1t was followed until the reptile was discovered upon some food wood under great tree. They scouts went close enough to make out that he was gorgiDg himself with victim, and they declared their belief that 1t was a man. We returned to camp, and that evening a boat came down, which reported having seen native pulled out of his canoe the evening before by the big serpent. They were not far behind him and the event had so frightened them that they had retreated up stream and made long wait before daring to ven- ture down again. When told that we were there to seek to capture the ana conda alive, every man of the half dozen offered his services.
 Just how long 1t takes a big snake to swallow body as large as a man is a matter no naturalist gives definitely. One of the natives with us had com panion struck and killed by an ana conda several years before, and at once ran for assistance. He returned with a crowd in about three hours, and the body was then about half swallowed
 We gave this serpent two nights and a day, and when we then approached him he was. in his torpor. He was curled up on the food wood, with a single hitch of his tail around the big tree in the centre. Not a vestige of the clothing worn by the native could be seen, and it was evident that the snake had bolted everything. Hewas not greatly distended, and the natives said his torpor would not last above three or four days. We got bag over his head and 6 couple of nooses over his body, and he then began to to resist. We threw another moose over the tip of his tail, and 1t took five of us pulling at 5 stout rope to throw off his hitch. He thrashed about pretty lively for few min utes, but then seemed to lose his courage, and we made him fast. We got poles under him and landed him safely in camp and in a large cage, but 1t needed the dozen of us to do 1t. We were back at Rangoon before he fully awoke. His cage was placed In ware houte, ready to be shipped by a vessel then unloading, but on the second night he broke out, killed a porter who was sleeping in the office, and made his way to large private gar den, where he was discovered next morning. No man in his senses would attempt the capture of large serpent in possession of his strength and tenn per, and the result was that a number of soldiers and policemen were called !, out to shoot the dangerous visitor. Although so confused that he never entirely left the tree in which we , found him. he launched his body at