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"I see a little stretch of sand," said Giant, presently, and pointed it out. "We might go ashore there for breakfast -if there are no snakes." They turned the Snapper in the direction mentioned, and soon beached the craft. A hasty hunt around revealed no snakes and the young hunters felt easier.
The point we were aiming for was the highest part of the island; hitherto we had great difficulty in forcing our way, though we all used our hatchets without remorse, Gatty bestowing much unnecessary labour in the matter. We were beginning to think our adventure rather stupid; not a sign of any animal had we seen, great or small, no dragons, no griffins, no snakes, no anything.
Over a thousand obstructions we crawled like three rock snakes, till finally the boy halted and turned toward me. "See the streak of light through that split in the rock?" he whispered. "Look in front of you! Well, they're inside." The split in the rock to which Holman had pointed was a perpendicular crevice about four feet in length, but possessing only a width of six inches.
It had its full complement of eggs, and probably sent forth a brood of young birds, though as to this I cannot speak positively, as I neglected to observe it further. It was well sheltered and concealed, and was not easily come at by any of its natural enemies, save snakes and weasels. But concealment often avails little.
Definite sanitary reasons, supplemented by the fact that where bats are there will the snakes be gathered together, and a pious repugnance to snakes as lodgers, made the casting out of the bats a joyful duty. So we lived, more out of the hut than in it, from October, 1897, until Christmas Day, 1903.
He had used them all repeatedly, identifying eagles, wild swans, ospreys, wild duck and geese, terrapin, snapping turtles and water snakes, as well as a horde of lesser creatures.
"Sauti continued, 'That first of Brahmanas, thus addressed by the foremost of the chief snakes assembled together, was very much gratified. And the high-souled one then set his heart upon going away. "And that best of Brahmanas, having saved the snakes from the snake- sacrifice, ascended to heaven when his time came, leaving sons and grandsons behind him.
The basket lid was resting on their heads, and as the music and the chanting rose to a wild weird shriek the lid rose too, until suddenly the woman snatched the lid away and the snakes were revealed, with hoods raised, hissing the cobra's hate-song that is prelude to the poison-death. They struck at the woman, one after the other, and she leaped out of their range, swift and as supple as they.
When they reached the house they found they had no matches and were afraid of snakes, but she was so tired that she lay down as she was on a bed piled high with clothes, the others on the floor, the baby crying itself to sleep. At cock-crow fire was obtained from the village, and a cup of tea made her herself again, and ready for the inevitable palavers.
Hence perhaps it is, that there are many plants in common to the two countries but with respect to the trees of Tierra del Fuego, even attempts made to transplant them have failed. During our stay at Maldonado I collected several quadrupeds, eighty kinds of birds, and many reptiles, including nine species of snakes.
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