East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-11-09

| projected Bomo distance INTO view,
he was about to make fatal spring.
His direction was certainly toward me:
and as he flashed from his position
like thunderbolt, j gave myself up
for ere aid could have reached me,
fold after fold of the monster would
have crushed my strong frame into a
quivering pulp. fell, seemingly
caught in " hirlwind Of dust, and a
strange indescribable struggle ensued.
In the midst of this terrible strife, /
suddenly became conscious of tho pres
ence of another victim, and even after
the time that has elapsed since then,
/ still recolect with what vividness the
thought shot across my mind, that
this second victim was Captain Grant,
my noble companion. At last, after
being thus whirled about for several
seconds each second seemed to be in
terminable, there ensued a lull, still
ness as of death, and L opened my
eyes, expecting to look upon those un-
explored landscapes whioh are seen
only in the country beyond the tomb.
Instead of that, / saw Captain Grant
leveling his rifle toward me, while
standing beside and behind him, were
the blacks, in every conceivable atti-
tude of the most intense suspense.
In a moment / comprehended all.
The huge serpent had struck a young
buffalo COW between which and,
him / had unluokily placed myself
at the moment of firing at theel-
ephant A most singular good for
tune hsd attended me, however,
for instead of beng crushed into
a mangled mass with the unfor-
tunate COW, my left forearm had on
ly beenicaught in between the buffalo's
body and one single fold of the con-
strictor. The limb laid just in front |
of the shoulder at the root Of the neck
and thus had soft bed of flesh, into
which it was jammed, as it were, by
the immense pressure of the SER
pent's body that was iron-like IN hard
ness.
As / saw Graut about to shoot q
terror took possession of me, for if he
refrained might possibly escape, af-
ter the boa released the folds from
the dead cow Bnt should he fire and
strike the reptile, it would in its con-
crush or drag mo to pieces.
Even as the idea came to me, beheld
Grant pause. He appeared to fully
all. lie could see how
was situated, that / was still living,
and that my delivery depended on the
will of the constructor. We could SEQ
every line on each others face, so close
were we, and L would have shouted
or spoken, or even have whispered at
him, had / dared, but the boa's head
was within few inches of mine,
and the wink of an eyelid would per-
haps settle my doom, SO Istared like
4 dead man at Grant and the blacks.
IuRp Rplaaseg8ttly laas g8ttlys, the serpent began to re-
buffalo quivereti,; no aifwJaa. crushed
entirely. Then he paused. The next
iron like band was the one that held
me prisoner; and as l felt it little by
little unclasping, my heart stood still
with hope and fear. Perhaps, upon
being freed, the benumed arm, uncon-
trolled by my viii might fall from the
cushion like bod in which 1T lay.
And such mishap might bring the
spare fold around my neck or chest,
and then farewell to the sources ofthe |
Nile. Oh how hardly how desperate
ly, l struggled to command mysen' 1
glanced at Grant and saw him hand
ling his rifle anxiously. / glanced at
the negroes and saw them still gaz-
ing as though petrifed with astonish-
ment / glanced at the serpents
loathsome head and saw its bright
deadly eyes, W ,tching. for the least
sign Of life in its prey.
Now, then, the reptile loosened Its
fold on my arm a hairs bredth, ana
now a little more, until half an inoh
of space separated my arm and ITS
mottled skin. / could have whipped
out INV hand, but l dared not take the
risk. Atoms of time dragged them
selves into ages, and minute seemed
eternity itself! The second fold was
removed entirely, and the next
one was easing. Should l dash away
now, or wait more favorable mo-
msnt? l decided upon the form or;
and, withlightning speel, bounded
away toward Grant, the crack OF
whose piece / heard at the same IN
slant. For the first time in my life,
/ was thoroughly overcome, and SINK
ing down i remained in a semi-con-
scious state for several minutes. /,
When fully recovered, Grant and
the overioyed negroes held me up,and
pointed out the boa, who was still
writhing in his death agonies. l
shuddored as l looked upon the effect
of his tremendous dying strength.
For yards around whore he lay, grass,
bushes and sapling, and in fact every
thing except the more fully grown,
trees, wero cut clean of, as though
they had been trimmed with an I'M
: mense sythe. This monsetr wher
measured, was fifty one feet two inch
es and half in x'reme length, while
round the thickest part of the body 1T
pirth was near ly three feet, thus prov
, inr. / believe, t. b tn largest serpen
that was over authenticity heard OF.
PARENTAL GovERSMENr.-Pe Perhap
Tho most reasonable scheme is some