The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1857-10-28

! The mental energieS, however, in the mo.
men' ut their greatest trial, now gathered
suddenly tv her aid, and with desper.
ate effort, aud with feeling Of most AN
moving uncertainty and dread, she sue
ceeded PARTIALLY in :he attempt, and threw
her arms backwards, her hands graspny
! the neighhoring tree, feeble, toiterlng, aud
depending upon it for lh At support which
| her own limbs almost entirely denied her.
with her movement came, however, the
! full Development Of the powerful spell and
dreadful mystery before her.
! AS her feet receded. thou Ia but sin
| gle pace, to the tree which she now res
! ted, the aulibIy ar,lculared ring, like that
OF the watch when wound up with the
verge broken, announced the nature of
| the splendid yet dangerous presence, in
the form OF monster ra;tlcsnake, now
but few feet before her. lying coiled At
the bottom of beautiful shruh, with
! which TO her dreamy eye, many Of It's
own glorious hues had been Associated
! She WAS at 'emgth CONSCIOUS enough to
perceive and feel her danger but terror
had deprived her os the strength nec.s.
sars 10 fly from her dreadful enemy
| Tlere, still g!ared the eve beautifully
brig'. and piercing, fixed upon her own :;
and seemingly III the spirit "f sport, the
insidu"us reptile slowly uuwound himself
from his coIi, but only TO wind himself up
again into his muscular rings. his great
| flat heal rising in the midst, and slowly
10 ding y. ;. were toward h.r,t eve still
peerng into her own, the rattle slightly
r.n ing at Intervals, and giving forth that
J psrallzrug sound, ~bich once heard, is re.
membercd fore er. The reptile all this
| whIie seeming conscious Of and to snort
with while seeking To excite her terror
| Now, with his Hat head, dis,enIed mouth
and curving neck, would il dart forth it's
long form To warn hcr-its fatal teeth,
unfolding on either SIDE of its upper avs.
seeming To threaten her with instaniaue
Gus death, while it's powerful eve shot
! forth glaUces "f that fatal Fascination, ma
lisuautly bright, which by paralyzing
! with moved furm Of terror aud Of beau
! Y, may r"adil; account for the spell
whwh il possesses Of binding the feet Of
| the Iitnid, and DENYING even To fear the
privilege OF flight. Could she have fled!
She felt the necessity, but the power of
/ her limbs was gone and there sill il
( lay, coIng anl uncolIrg, its arched neck
g.ittcring like ring OF bronz.d copper.
, bright and iurid, aud the dreadful beauty
of lis eye still fastened, eagerly contem
/ plating the victim, While the penduuus
rattle still rang the death note, as it e.
| prepare the conscious mind for the fate
which is m"mentv approaching the blow.
! Meanwhile the stiffness became deathIikc
| with all surrounding objects. The bir |
/ had gone with lis scream and rush. The
/ breeze was silent. The vines ceased to
wave. The leaves aintIy quivered on
their stems. The serpent once more !ay
still, but the eye WAS never TUNED away
! from the victim. lis corded muscles are
IN coil. They have but TO unclasp
suddenly, and the dreadful tolls ~iiI he
upon her in full length, and the fatal
| teeth will strike, and tie deadly venom
which they secre,o will mlngle with The
/ life blood IT, her veins.
"Ihe terrified uaInsel, her full consci
/ business restored bu, not her strength, feels
all her danger. She sees that the sport
! of the terrible reptile is at an end. She
cannot now mistake the horrid expression
of his eve. She tries to scream, bat her
voice died away To "A feeble gurgling in
her throat. Her tongue is paraIyzed--
her lips sealed; once more she strives for
! fight, but her limbs refuse their office.
! She has nothing left of life but its fearful
CONSCIOUSNESS. 1t is in her despair, that.
as n last effort she succeeds To screan-a
single wild cry. forced from her by this
accumulated agoay; she sinks down up
on the grass before her enemy--her eyes.
however, still open, and still! looking up
on those which directs forever upon them.
She sees hm approach, aow advancing,
| now ErceedIng: now swelling in every
! part with something like anger, while his
| neck archei beautifully, like that OF u
wild horse under the curb, until, At length,
tired ~ it wee Of play, like tue cat with
! her srcIim, sbe sees ihe asck growing lar
| ger, ard becoming completely bow ed as
# to sIrike--ihe huge jaw unclosing NJ
most directly above her; tie loDg. iribu-
| lated fang. charged with venom. protru-
ding from The caverous mOulh--and she
sees no mole IDsensibiity came TO her
aid, and she lay almost lifeess under the
folds Of the very monster.