Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-07-25

the ul3tlSr.
when did you first know that there was
snake in the cell with you p said be.
about nine O'CLOCK last night was Jacks
reply.
sWhy didn't you call to the guard p asked
the officer.
Il thought the guard wadna hear m.. and l
was feared might tramp ont, so just lay
still.
But you might have been bit. Did you
know that YOU would have died instantly
i kent that very weel.' said Jack; sbut they
say that snakes Wilma meddle with you if you
dinna med1le with them sac just let it crawl
as it li!>et.'
We'll, my lad, believe you did what was
best after all but it was what not one man in
thousand could have done
When the story told. and the snake
shown to the commanding officer, he thought
the same, and Jack, for his extraordinary nerve
and courage, got a remission of his punish
ment For some time, at least, he took ctra
how he again got into such situation as to ex
pose himself to the chance of passing another
night with such bed-fcllow.
1t has frequently been asserted, that the
most tremendous of the snake tribe, the boa
constructor does not now exist in Hindostan,
and has not done so for considerable time.
This statement is to BE- iken with some re-
servation. When our Anglo-Indan army were
c cllled in the field few years ago, to teach
lesson to an obstinate native potentate, two of
our soldiers left tcmpory encampment of the
troops, in order to indulge in 4 battle. They
had portion Of jungle to cross, and in doing
So the foot Of one of them slipped into sort
of hole. This proved to be an elephant-tr,p ,p:
that is so say, a pit of considerable size dug
in the earth, and covered over with branch
es sticks AMI such like m ttters, so as
to deceive the wild elephant into plIcing- his
mighty weight upon it, when he sinks, and is
un tble to gel out again. The soldier got his
foot Withdrawn from the trap, though at the
cost of his shoe, which the closeness OF the
branches caused to come Off Little did the
poor fellow know at the moment what fate he
Ind narrowly escaped But he soon bee lme
sensible of it. On looking down to see whith
er his shoe gone, and il it was recoverable,
he beheld sight, which, but for the hold he
had of his companions arm would have made
Through the opening made by his foot he
an enormous boa-constrictor, with its body
coiled up, and its head curved, watching the
opening above, and evidently prepared to dart
on the falling prey. Hurrying from the spot,
the two two soliiers informed some of their
officers, who Immediately came to the trap
with firearms. The creature was still there
and in Iced, hal most probably remained in
the place for length of time, preying on the
unfortunate animals; great and small, which
tumbled into its den, Ball and swanshot, both
used at once, brought the reptiles life to
close and it was got out of the hole. 1t prov
ed to be fifteen feet long, and about the gener-
general thickness of mans thigh. The skin
and sc lles were most beautiful. 1t was in
tended to-make two cIscS of the SIX in for hold
ing the r.gimentIl colors, and would have
been large enough for the purpose; but it was
intrusted tc unskillful hands, and got whittier
ed, and wasted in the preparation.
The Hindoos, at least the serpent-charm-
ers among them, pretend, as is we'll known, 10
handle all sorts OF snakes with impunty; 10
make them and go at ILL., and in short,
10 havS a cahalistlc authority over the whole
race. Thess pretensions are necessary to the
ex arcise OF their profession, which consists,
in part, in Riding private houses OF trouble
some visitants OF this description. One of
these serpent-charmers will assert to house
holder that there are snakes about MS premi-
ses, and partly from motives of far and part
iy from curiosity, the householder promises
the man reward, if he succ .eds in showing and
than Tho ro,e A., x-NrI,
and soon snakes are seen lo issue from some
corner or another, obedient To his call The
performer takes them up fearlessly, and they
meet like friends. In fact, the opinion of the
more enlightened residents in India is that the
snakes and their charmers are old friends; that
he hid them there and of cours, knew where
to find them, and, moreover, that having long
ago extracted the poisonous fangs he may well
h indie them without al ,rm. Europeans as
well as natives, believe that these charmers
hIve strange powers over the snake tribe In
VI ,dr Is, however, while l was there, this be-
lief received sad shock by a circumstance
which occurred. One of the most noted SER
pent-ch trmers about the district Glanced one
morning to get hold of a cobr, of consid IRA
bic size, which he got conveyed to his home
He was occupi ed abroad all day, and had not
time to get the dangerous fang extracted from
the sefpents mouth this, at least, is the pro-
bable solution of the matter. In the evening,
he returned to his dwelling, considerably ex-
cited with liquor, and began to exhibit tricks
with his snakes to various persons who were
around him at the time. The newly clught
cobra was brought out with the others, and the