The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-03-03

A NIGHT WITH A T1c-PoLANGo. - There
have been more extraordinary stories told by
travellers OF adventures with snakes, probably,
than with any other beast, bird or reptile.
| The last one we have met with is subioined.
1t seems that an officer iourneying in India
stopped for the night at what is termed a " rest
house" and, on retiring to bed, felt q singular
motion under his pillow. 1t was an uneasy.
osciilating motion. and continually became
still more %perceptible. But let him tell his
own storp: Strange, thought !, as l sat up
and tossed the pillow over on the bed beside
me, to discover the cause. The cause was ap-
parent in a Moment. Feeble as the light given
by the old lamp standing in the corner Of the
room was, | could plainly discern a dark length
ened object, curled up for the most part, but
just beginning to untwist itself and raise its
head-altogether as disgusting, Shiny looking
and detestable a reptile as one could well see
any where, and, if out Of place any where, GER
tainly out of place when under ones pillow
1t was a snake with q small, deadly looking
head, two cold CLASSY eyes, shining in vivid
contrast to its Il n'brown body--a snake grad
ually increasing i'll thickness from the head
towards the center of its body, and tapering off
again towards its tail. The forked tongue
played, incessantly, like the feelers of an insect,
over the nose and upper iaw-the heal was
being elevated rapidly-and not Il moment was
to be lost, for the first glance assured NE it was
q tic-polango, one Of the deadIiest of serpentg.
TO leap from the bed with one bound into the
middle Of the room was the work Of an instant.
The stiffness | had felt on jumping from nv
horse had maryelously disappeared | felt It
no longer. The disturbed reptile, ANNOYED first
at the unwonted pressure of my head, and after
wards still more annoyed at the removal of its
warm and convenient covering, stood erect at
the beds head, half its length perpendicularly
elevated, while the rest remained cooled upon
the m~attrass, the forked tongue playing more
rapidly than ever--the diminutive, s~harp-point-
ed head oscillating gently backwards and for
wards, as il undecided as to what should be at
tacked-the cold CLASSY eyes peering after me,
as / grasped a bar of wood with which the door
was usually fastened within, calling loudly for
my servant the while | did so. But Noro was
busily engaged at the moment discussing q de
%licions meal frice and curry, and found it con-
nient not to hear me. l brought the bar down,
with all my force, upon the yenomous reptile,
still standing in the attitude of attack as it had
been. | brought the bar down, and left it there
to see the effect of the blow, for to have eleya-
ted it again, without due caution, might have
been dangerous, inasrnuch as the snake might
| possibly have been raised with it, and have drop-
ped upon my head-anything but a comfortable
position for either Of us. The blow had inhic-
ted much injury on the enemy, but he was not
dead. His head now made its appearance be
tween the wooden bars of the bed, which served
as a rail to support the pillows-the body,