Boas can swim and climb; they will catch fish as they come near the
surface of the water, and drag them ashore; or hang by their tails from
some forest tree, and thus lie in wait to seize any animal which may be
passing. They are now very shy of men, and not much feared by them; but
these great snakes used to be worshipped as gods by the people of Mexico,
and some of their serpent-idols have been found in ancient temples--showing
how much they were once dreaded; for it is the habit of men to worship what
they greatly fear.
The Python, a snake very like the boa, is an object of horror to the people
of South Africa; yet they are unwilling to destroy it, because they believe
it has an awful power, and say that no one has ever been known to injure a
python, without being severely punished in some mysterious way. I have read
an account of an adventure which a Dutchman had with one of these serpents,
which I must tell you, because of the part played in it by his little dog.
You shall have the story in his own words:--"I had in my cabin a large and
strong cage, enclosing a python of considerable size, but which appeared to
be dull and inanimate. We were lying off the coast of Borneo, where I was
detained for some days. When I came again on board, I had not taken many
steps before my little dog seized me by the trousers and endeavoured to
hold me fast. I shook him off and proceeded, when the dog seized me again,
and I again roughly forced him from me.
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