This done, the man seized the creature by the tail, and drew it out to its full length, which seemed to me to be eight or nine feet; but the creature was very thick.
The man had turned to me with a scared face, and spoke almost for the first time since he had been my attendant, saying in Hindustani—
“I pray that my lord will not tell my master the maharajah!”
“Not tell him you killed the snake?”
“No, my lord. He would say thy servant did right to slay the serpent; but he would punish him for not keeping guard, and seeing that no serpent came.”
“Would it have bitten and poisoned me?” I asked.
“No, my lord. This kind does not bite and poison, only twists round and crushes. It is very strong.”
“How did it come in?” I said.
He went down on his hands and knees and examined the edge of the tent, looking for a hole where the creature could have crept under; but every part was secure, and the man rose, and his face wore a puzzled look.
“Thy servants have done their work well,” he said. “There is no hole where the serpent could have crept under. I do not know.”