In vain we called him by name. Fritz would even have rushed after him, had not I held him back. In another moment the ass was close to the thicket, and with the cold shudder of horror, we beheld the snake rear itself from its lair, the fiery eyes glanced around, the dark, deadly jaws opened widely, the forked tongue darted greedily forth--poor Grizzle's fate was sealed. Becoming aware on a sudden of his danger, he stopped short, spread out all four legs, and set up the most piteous and discordant bray that ever wrung echo from the rocks. Swift and straight as a fencer's thrust, the destroyer was upon him, wound round him, entangled, enfolded, compressed him, all the while cunningly avoiding the convulsive kicks of the agonized animal. A cry of horror arose from the spectators of this miserable tragedy. "Shoot him, father! oh, shoot him--do save poor Grizzle!" "My children, it is impossible!" cried I. "Our old friend is lost to us for ever! I have hopes, however, that when gorged with his prey we may be able to attack the snake with some chance of success." "But the horrible wretch is never going to swallow him all at once, father?" cried Jack. "That will be too shocking!" "Snakes have no grinders, but only fangs, therefore they cannot chew their food, and must swallow it whole. But although the idea is startling, it is not really more shocking than the rending, tearing, and shedding of blood which occurs when the lions and tigers seize their prey." "But," said Franz, "how can the snake separate the flesh from the bones without teeth? And is this kind of snake poisonous?" "No, dear child," said I, "only fearfully strong and ferocious. And it has no need to tear the flesh from the bones. It swallows them, skin, hair, and all, and digests everything in its stomach." "It seems utterly impossible that the broad ribs, the strong legs, hoofs, and all, should go down that throat," exclaimed Fritz. "Only see," I replied, "how the monster deals with his victim; closer and more tightly he curls his crushing folds, the bones give way, he is kneading him into a shapeless mass. He will soon begin to gorge his prey, and slowly but surely it will disappear down that distended maw!" The mother, with little Franz, found the scene all too horrible, and hastened into the cave, trembling and distressed. To the rest of us there seemed a fearful fascination in the dreadful sight, and we could not move from the spot. I expected that the boa, before swallowing his prey, would cover it with saliva, to aid in the operation, although it struck me that its very slender forked tongue was about the worst possible implement for such a purpose. It was evident to us, however, that this popular idea was erroneous. The act of lubricating the mass must have taken place during the process of swallowing; certainly nothing was applied beforehand.