It swallowed up one
of my comrades, notwithstanding his loud cries and the efforts he made
to extricate himself from it. Dashing him several times against the
ground, it crushed him, and we could hear it gnaw and tear the poor
fellow's bones, though we had fled to a considerable distance. The
following day, to our great terror, we saw the serpent again, when I
exclaimed, "O Heaven, to what dangers are we exposed! We rejoiced
yesterday at having escaped from the cruelty of a giant and the rage
of the waves; now are we fallen into another danger equally dreadful."
As we walked about, we saw a large tall tree, upon which we designed
to pass the following night for our security; and having satisfied our
hunger with fruit, we mounted it accordingly. Shortly after, the
serpent came hissing to the foot of the tree, raised itself up against
the trunk of it, and meeting with my comrade, who sat lower than I,
swallowed him at once, and went off.
I remained upon the tree till it was day, and then came down, more
like a dead man than one alive, expecting the same fate as had
befallen my two companions. This filled me with horror, and I advanced
some steps to throw myself into the sea; but I withstood this dictate
of despair, and submitted myself to the will of God, who disposes of
our lives at His pleasure.
In the meantime I collected together a great quantity of small wood,
brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into fagots, made a wide
circle with them round the tree, and also tied some of them to the
branches over my head.
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