New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-05-21
SNAKES AND SNAKE HUNTING.

NJ de la Gironiere's description of snake
hunt on the Island of Luzon
My dogs were dispersed along the brink Of q
deep rayine, in which was an enormous boa.
The monster raised his head to height Of five
or six feet, directing it from one edge to the
other of the ravine, and menacing his assail-
ants with his forked tongue but the dogs, more
active than he was, easily avoided his attacks.
My first impulse was to shoot him, but then it
occurred to me to take him alive and send him
to France, Assuredly he would have been the
most monstrous boa that had ever been seen
there. To carry out my design, we had made
nooses of cane strong enough to resist the most
powerful wild buffalo. With great precaution
we succeeded in passing one of our noosas round
the boa's neck then we tied him tightly to
tree, in such a manner as to keep his head at
its usual heght-about six feet from the ground
This done, we crossed to the other side of the
ravine, and threw another moose over him,
which we secured like the first. When he felt
himself thus fixed at both ends, he coiled and
writhed. and grappled several little trees which
grew within his reach along the edge Of the
ravine Unluekily for him, every thing yielded
to his efforts; he tore up the young trees by
the roots, brokh off the branches, and dislodged
enormous stones, round which he sought in vain
to obtain the hold or point of resistance he
needed The nooses were strong, and wlthstood
his most furious efforts. To convey an animal
like this, several buffaloes and a whole system
confident in our nooses, we left the place, pro-
posing to return next morning and complete the
| capture; but we reckoned without our host.
In the night the boa changed his tactics, got his
body round some huge blocks of basalt, and
finally succeeded in breaking his bonds and
getting clear OFT.
Human beings rarely fall prey to these big
reptiles heard various stories from the lndi-
ans of their being killed and swallowed by them;
but Indian stories are not to be implicitly cred
tied, and was unable to verify more than one
instance-that of a malefactor who hid from
Justice in a cavern. His father visited him
occasionally, to supply him with food. One day
he found in place of his son, an enormous boa
sleeping He killed it and found his son in its
stomach. The poor wretch had been surprised
in the night, crushed to death, and swallowed
Upon the whole however, the boa is one OF the
least terrible of the Philippine serpents There
= are small ones whose bite proves mortal WITHIN
/, a few hours. Of an exceedingly venomous de-
scription is one which the Indians call daj0n-
palau-leaf of rice Burning with hot ember
D is the only antdote to its bite; II that IS not
| promptly resorted to. horrible suferlDgs are
4 followed by certain death. The dti,-m0rans
is another sort, eight or ten feet long, and II
. anv thing more dangerous still than the " rice
leaf inasmuch as its bite is deeper, and more
difficult to cauterize Although 80 much
abroad in forest and mountain, and taking but
, few precautions, was never bitten, though had
| some narrow eeCdptS Oucc tfou pou auu/V"-
palay was warned by movement under my
E foot pressed hard with that leg, and saw the
snakes little head stretching out TO bite me on
: the ankle; fortunately my foot was on him az
o so short distance from his head, that he could
not get at me drew my dagger and cut on ms
8 head On another occasion noticed two eagles
rising and falling like arrows among tne oashee,
n ALWAYS at the same place Curious 10 see what
. manner Of animal they were attacking, ap-
n. proached the place; but no sooner had done
so, than an enormous aiin-n'orant, furious with
r. the wounds the eagles had inflicted on him, ad.
nanoed to meet me | retreated; he coiled
&c himself up, gave spring, and almost caught
he me on the face By an inverse movement,
- made spring backward, and avoided him bu'
KY | took care not to turn my back and run, TO-
he then should have been lost. The serpent re
s's turned to the charge, bounding toward me;
IT. again avoided him. and was trying, but In veir
to reach him with the edge of my dagger, whe
an Indian, who perceived me from distancs
he ran up, armed with bough Of tree, and RI
an me Of him.