--before he can attempt to coil pussy has leaped upon him,--nailing
the horrible flat head fast to the ground with her two sinewy Now
let him lash, writhe, twine, strive to strangle her!--in vain! he
will never lift his head: an instant more and he lies still:
--the keen white teeth of the cat have severed the vertebra just
behind the triangular skull!...



XVIII.


The Jardin des Plantes is not absolutely secure from visits of
the serpent; for the trigonocephalus goes everywhere,--mounting
to the very summits of the cocoa-palms, swimming rivers,
ascending walls, hiding in thatched roofs, breeding in bagasse
heaps. But, despite what has been printed to the contrary, this
reptile fears man and hates light: it rarely shows itself voluntarily
during the day. Therefore, if you desire, to obtain some
conception of the magnificence of Martinique vegetation, without
incurring the risk of entering the high woods, you can do so by
visiting the Jardin des Plantes,--only taking care to use your
eyes well while climbing over fallen trees, or picking your way
through dead branches. The garden is less than a mile from the
city, on the slopes of the Morne Parnasse; and the primitive
forest itself has been utilized in the formation of it,--so that
the greater part of the garden is a primitive growth. Nature has
accomplished here infinitely more than art of man (though such
art has done much to lend the place its charm),--and until within
a very recent time the result might have been deemed, without