ON AFRICA. 453 Coast of Sahara is given an account of an exhibition by two Isawie", who do not appear to him between the folds of his haik, just above his right hipbone, hissing most horribly ; the Arab gave a horrid shriek, when another serpent came out of the cage. This last was black, very shining, and appeared to be seven or eight feet long, but not more than two inches in diameter : as soon as he had cleared the cage, he cast his redfiery eyes on his intended victim, thrust out his forked tongue, threXK) himself into a coil, erected his head, tvhich tvas in the centre of the coil, three feet from the floor, and flattening out the skin above his head and eyes, in the form, and nearly of the size of a human heart, and springing hke lightning on the Arab, struck its fangs into his neck near the jugular vein, while his tail and body flew round his neck and arms in two or three folds. The Arab set up the most hideous and piteous yelling, foamed aAd frothed at the mouth, grasping the folds of the serpent, which were round his arms with his right hand, and seemed to be in the greatest agony, striving to tear the reptile from around his neck, while with his left he seized hold of it near its head, but could not break its hold : by this time the other had turned itself around his legs, and kept biting all around the other parts of his body, making apparently deep incisions : the blood, issuing from every wound (both in his neck and body,) streamed all over his haik and skin. My blood was chilled in my veins with horror at this sight, and it was with difficulty my legs would support my frame.

" Notwithstanding the Arab's greatest exertions to tear away the serpents with his hands, they turned themselves still tighter, stopped his breath, and he fell to the floor, where he continued for a moment, as if in the most inconceivable agony, rolling over, and covering every part of his body with his own blood and froth, until he ceased to move, and appeared to have expired. In his last struggle, he had wounded the black serpent with his teeth, as it was striving, as it were, to force its head into his mouth, which wound GG 3