The skinning of the Aboma snake, shot by Cap. Stedman [graphic]Blake, William, 1757-1827, printmaker[2 December 1793]engAn Arawak native slits the throat of a large Aboma snake that is hanging from a branch of a tree, suspended by a rope around its neck. Two other Arawak natives pull at the rope to hoist the snake higher. Captain Stedman, his back to the viewer, directs the work of the natives from the ground (left foreground), his rifle resting against the trunk of the tree. On the right in the distance, a man sits in a boat on the riverTitle from caption below image.The engravings are believed to have based on drawings by the author J.G. Stedman, two of the early plates acknowledging the attribution. Stedman was a friend of William Blake who may have assisted Stedman, an amateur artist.Plate from: Stedman, J. G. Narrative, of a five years' expedition, against the revolted Negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the wild coast of South America. London : J. Johnson & T. Payne, 1806-1813.