"I once had a fight with a boa that had taken refuge in a crevice among the rocks, where my dogs found him. They barked furiously, and the snake tried to reach them with his jaws, but they were very agile in their movements, and managed to elude him. I came up with my men, and sheltering myself behind a rock close to the crevice, took careful aim, reserving my fire till his head was poised for a blow. I put a large ball through his head, and soon afterward another through his body, and then his writhings were furious; he twined himself round the rocks and bushes within his reach, and in so doing overturned a large rock, that fell on one of his folds and pinned him down. In this position he continued to dart his head from side to side with great rapidity, and with such force that a blow from it would have been no small matter. In an hour or so his strength gave way; I had sent one of my men for assistance in skinning the snake, and by the time the re-enforcements arrived the reptile was in a condition to be lashed up to the nearest tree. He measured nearly seventeen feet in length, and his skin was most beautifully marked. "There are several venomous serpents in the Philippines, one of the most dangerous being the _dajon-palay_, or rice-leaf. The only antidote to its bite is to burn the wound with a red-hot iron or live coal, and this operation must be performed very quickly, to prevent the spread of the poison. There is another called the _alin-morani_, which is as bad as the other, and perhaps worse, as it makes a wound that is deeper, and therefore more difficult to cauterize. It grows to the length of eight or ten feet, and lives in the thickest part of the forest; its habitation may sometimes be known by observing the movements of the eagles, and the prudent hunter will keep as far away from it as possible. The eagles are its great enemy, and attack it fiercely; two of them generally fight together, and in such a case the snake has very little chance of escape." [Illustration: A STAG-HUNT IN LUZON WITH HORSES AND DOGS.] CHAPTER VII. HUNTING THE DEER AND WILD BOAR.--RESULTS OF THE CHASE. A little while after the incident with the snake the party came to where the servants were waiting for them with breakfast: according to the custom of the East, the early meal taken at the house was a slight affair, so that by the middle of the forenoon one is apt to get fairly hungry. They sat down under a shady tree, and discussed the good things before them with a relish that came from the walk and ride through the open air and the excitement of the scenes of the morning. The boys were much amused at seeing the way the natives cooked their rice in a piece of bamboo, and served it up all fresh and hot. This is the process: