It was now near the end of the afternoon, as I observed by the sun, and I decided to select a place to camp for the night. I selected a spot near a thicket of thorn bushes, which would form an effectual protection to the rear, and then began collecting dry branches for a fire. The sun was low in the sky, and the heat was greatly moderated, and, by the time I had collected a large pile of fire wood, a sea breeze sprang up, taking the place of the land breeze of the day, making it cool and comfortable.
I had no difficulty this time in starting a fire, and as soon as it had burned down sufficiently I buried a yam and some of the turtles' eggs in the ashes, and, while they were cooking I occupied the time cutting away a part of the smaller thorn bushes, making a cleared place in which I could sleep during the night, the thicket over me furnishing protection from the dampness of the air.
By the time this was accomplished, and a cocoanut shell of water was brought from the brook, I judged that the yam and eggs were sufficiently cooked, which they proved to be when I uncovered them, and I at once proceeded to eat my evening meal. The eggs proved to be of good flavor, but wanted salt. This reminded me that I must provide a supply of salt, which I could do by evaporating some sea-water as soon as I had the opportunity.
It was now past sunset and rapidly growing dark; so I replenished the pile of firewood, and piling a quantity of it upon the fire, I lay down with a bunch of grass for a pillow, and in a short time fell asleep.
CHAPTER X.
Under the Coils of a Snake.
When I awoke in the morning it was with a peculiar sense of oppression. In the first drowsiness I thought there was a great weight across my chest; and my arms were aching. I tried to move, but found that I could not lift my arms. They seemed to be pressed closely to my aides. Thoroughly awake now, I was terrified to find that I was lying beneath the folds of an enormous snake.
Frightened as I was beyond all expression, I maintained sufficient presence of mind to keep perfectly quiet until I could more fully realize my true situation--and, above all, locate the position of the great reptile's head.
As I gazed at the great scaly coils that enveloped me, I saw that the snake was of a pale yellow color. It was perfectly motionless. By tracing the taper of its body I saw that the head must be somewhere near my right shoulder.
I was in a great quandary what to do. Although still anxious for results, I was now quite calm, and my mind was full of plans for escaping from the terrible coils. I dared not move for fear that the snake would strike me with its fangs, or that it might encircle my body and squeeze me to death. Some snakes, like the boa-constrictor, kill their victims by this method; and while I felt sure that this snake was not a boa, on account of its color, I felt that it had the strength to crush me to death.