A sportsman who penetrated into the
jungle lying between Buddoh and Stran
goon came upon a lone hut, in a district
called Campong Bat la, upon tbe roof of
which the skin of an enormous boa or py
thon was spread out. The hut was occu
pied by a Malay and his wife, who told
the sportsman the following extraordinary
story: One mgbt, about a week previous
tbe Malay was awakened by the cries of
his wife. Supposing in the darkness that
she had been at tacked by thieves, he seiz
ed hif sharp parang and groped his way to
her sleeping place where his hand full upon
a slimy reptile. It was fully a minute be
fore he could comprehend the entire situa
tion, and when he did he discovered that
the whole of his wife's arm had been dravn
down the monster's throat, whither the
upper part of her body was slowly but
surely following.' Not daring to attack the
monster at once for fear of causing bis wife's
death the husband seized two bags within
reach and commenced stuffing them into
the corners of the snake's jaws, by means of
which he succeeded in forcing them wider
open and releasing his wife's arm. No sooner
had the boa lest his prey than he attacked
the husband, whom he began encircling
in his fatal coils, but, holding out both
arms and watching his opportunity, the
man attacked the monster so vigorously
with his parang that it suddenly unwound
itself and vanished through an opening be
neath the attap sides of the hut. The
Malay's clothes were covered with blood,
as was also the floor of the hut, and his
wife 8 arm was blue with the squeezing it
received between the boa's jaws. At day
light the husband discovered his patch of
plantain trees nearly ruined, the boa hav
ing in his agony broken off the trees at the
roots, and in the midst of the debris lay
tne monster dead. The Malay stated that
he had realized If-GO from Chinese, who
came long distances to purchase pieces of
tiie flesh on account of its supposed medi
cinal properties, and that he had refused $ti
for the skin, which he preferred to retain
as a trophy.
