With bamboo poles we prodded the snake at the head and tail, standing by with the nooses, ready to slip them on when he stirred sufficiently. Before he realized what was happening, we had the head-noose over him. The instant he felt the rope tighten he was awake!
The natives holding the tail-ropes became excited and succeeded in getting only one of them in place. The python suddenly leaped forward, and, though he did not loosen the rope, whipped it out of the hands of the men and knocked several of them flat; then he caught one man, who had not been able to get out of the way, and wrapped the lower part of his body around him while five or six feet of his tail still lashed about with the rope. I yelled to the others to pull on the tail-rope, but the confusion was so great that they did not hear me. I went for the snake's neck, which is the most tender part of him, hoping to sink my fingers in on the nerve center and disable him for a moment until the men collected their senses and pulled the rope. By jumping forward, the snake had loosened the head-rope sufficiently to turn on me and sink his fangs into my forearm. I sprang back.
The man who was caught in the snake's coils screamed, and tried to beat off the tail as it was drawing in about him. Then the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him instantly. Blood spouted from his mouth and ears, and he was thrown limply about as the snake lashed the air.
I yelled to the men to pull the head-rope taut. Fortunately, the tail-rope had not become loose, and we caught it just as the snake tried to lurch forward again. We allowed him to move forward slowly, drawing his head toward the crate and, at the same time, holding his tail until we had him stretched out. By prodding his tail with sticks, we forced him to uncoil and to release the body of the native.
The head-noose had been slipped farther down than I wanted, and was giving his head too much play. Assuring the men that he could do no more harm, I took three of them with me and we grabbed the snake's neck. He tossed us about, and we had several minutes of exciting work before we got the head into the open end of the crate. When the rope was secured, we fastened another rope about the middle of him.
The snake lashed furiously, knocking several of the natives down. Stationing a crew of men at the tail-rope to slacken it as we moved forward, I took the others to the crate and set them at pulling on the middle rope. As we dragged the python forward, he coiled in the crate; then, when he was half in, we secured the middle rope and head-rope to trees, passed the tail-rope through the crate and dragged the tail in. There was great rejoicing when we closed the end of the crate and prepared to haul it back to Palembang. We had captured a prize specimen. Cross of Liverpool, to whom I sold him, told me that he measured thirty-two feet. I have never seen his equal in length and girth. But, huge as he was, he coiled up comfortably in his small quarters, promptly fell asleep and went on digesting his pig.
II
JUNGLE STRATAGEMS
The entire population of Palembang came to marvel at the size of the python, and, before I realized it, I had acquired a wonderful and wide-spread reputation as a collector. I was soon besieged by requests to go out and capture all kinds of enormous animals—most of them imaginary, of course, for a Malay can imagine anything. Once he starts with "Sahya fîkir (I think)," you may expect to hear many wonderful tales if you have time to stop and listen to him.