Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-01-24

and, glancing up, | spied the variegat-
ed body of a large snake coiled about
the tree, not ten feet above me. And,
looking down, [ saw, so nearly in my
path that a step forward would have
trodden on it, another serpent, lying
in inconvolutions, and apparently asleep,
upon the dark green surf. A glance
suficed to tell me that it was a moe
casin-snake.
| do not like to recollect the sick
ening feeling that, for moment, came
over me, as | noticed the two reptiles
with what seemed a single eye shot |
have horror of the serpent tribe, and
would rather face battery than a
rattlesnake. But here was no re-
treat: | could not retrace my steps
upon the cypress cones. To jump in
to that gloomy bayou, and, perhaps,
be presently entangled in the horrible
subaqueOus vegetation over which |
had padded my "dug-out," or to en-
counter, at the miry bottom, objects
of | knew not what impurity and ven
ON, seemed no pleasanter alternative.
| had no weapon but the paddle. |
could not strike one snake, even the
sleeping one, without causing the 9th
er to attack; and yet could not pass
around the tree, upon tn at spongy
ridge, unless l overstepped the moe
casin. And | knew not whether this
cypress-clump, with its base of messy
peat, might not be peopled by a colony
of serpentS. | had heard of snake
dens in these bogS; Of breeding coverts,
where the copper-head, hooded-adder
and moccasin mingled their horrid
progenies.
The time consumed while | stood
motionless, supported by my paddle
and the tree, was very brief, scarcely
computable; yet, in that instant, these
a nd many other thoughts cleaned
through my mind. The sudden dan
ger, prOmptings to escape it, and re-
grets at having provoked it, were re-
nected simultaneously with thoughts of
home and consciousness Of present
surroundings. The bayou solitude, its
shadow and its quietude; the thick
ly woven green fronds upon the water !:
the heavy gray moss upon the trees !;
and, more distinct than other things,
the snakes coiled overhead and at nv
feet-were penciled by single mental
flash. Drawing my paddle from the
water with a cautious hand, released
my hold upon the messy cypress-trunk,
and raised one foot to step across the
snake before me. At this crisis some
thing caused the other one to uncoii
suddenly, and, in an instant, | beheld
its glittering head and forked tongue
thrust downward, while its eyes burn
ed with a light like living emeraldS. |
felt a horrible attraction to return
their gaze. | thought of stories that
| had often scOffed at; tales of fascina-
ted birds and children. [ thought OF
Ewes temptation, and of CoIeridge and
the Lady Geraldine. and almost fan
cied that those luminous eyes were set
under d female forehead, and the Snaky
coils beneath were silken folds of a
lady's garments, wrought in gold and
oplesque embroidery. This spell, i
spell it could be called, was quickly
broken, as marked the serpent's tai
abruptly flung around a limb above
me, and its crest curved, anerily owe:
a coil of spiral rings. Involmtarily
shrank from the threatened spring
and, as | did 50, the snake suddenly
depressed its body, darted out its heaC
measily to and fro, then glided to ;
higher limb, and disappeared amid th'
maze of leaves and moss. Anothe
second, and | heard a loud, clear voice
breaking the stillnes, like a silve
trumpet: