The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-18

From the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser.

looked at my neighbor with consid-
erable curiosity. His face indicated q
man of not over thirty years-a period
at which men are still young. One sell
est men, hair of such immaculate
whiteness. He sat by my side in car
OF the Great Western Railroad, in Cam
ada, and was looking out of the win
dow. Suddenly turning his head he
caught me in the act of staring at him
Ia rudeness of which L was ashamed.
1 was about to say words of apology,
when he quietly remarked:
"Don't mention it, sir. I'm used to
it." -
The frankness of this observation
pleased me, and in a very little while
we were conversiug on terms of famil-
liar acquaintanceship, and before long
he told me the whole story.
~ was a soldier In the army OF In
dia, !" said he, "and, as is often the case
with soldiers, was a little too fond OF
liouor. One day 1 got drunk, and was
shut up in the black hole for 1t. 1
slumped down upon the floor of the
dungeon, and was just dropping of
to sleep, when 1 felt a cold, Shiny
shape crawling across my right hand
as 1t lay stretched out above my head
on the floor. knew at once what it
was-a snake! or course my first i'm
pulse WAS to draw away my hand; but
knowing that II I did SO the poisonous
reptile would probably strike its fangs
into me, l lay still, with my heart beat
ing in my breast like trip hammer.
or course, my fright sobered me in
stantly. I realized all my peril in its
fullest extent. oh, how L lamented
the hour that 1 had touched liquor In
every glass of liquor there is a serpent;
but It does not come TO everybody In
the shape 1t came to me. With slow,
NkNnr In a raH
its carcass across my face, inch by inch,
and crept down over my breast and
thrust its head inside my Jacket. As 1
felt the hldeous scraping of the sltmy
body over my cheeks it was
only by the most tremendous
effort that 1 succeeded in resrain-
ing myself from yelling loudly with
felt the tail wriggling down toward my
chin; but imagine what felt at my
heart, If you can imagine 1t, as real
lied that the dreadful creature had coil
ed itself up under my jacket as lay,
and had seemingly gone to sleep, for It
was still as death. Evidently II had
no idea that was human creaturei IT
it had it would not have acted in that
way. All snakes are cowardly, and
they will not approach a man unless to
strike him in self defence. Three hours
lay with that dreadful weight in my
bosom, and each minute was like an
hour TO me-like year. seemed to
have lived a lifetime in that brief
space. Every incident of my life pass
ed through my memory in rapid success
sion, rs they say Is the case with a
drowning man. 1 Thought of my
mother, away in old England my
happy home by the Ayoni my Mary,
the girl loved, and never expected TO
see them more. For no matter how
long bore this, I felt that it would end
in death atilast. lay as rigid as a
corpse, scarcely daring even to breathe
and ali the while my breast was grow
ing colder and colder where the snake
was lying against it, with nothing but
thin cotton shirt between my skin
and its. knew that If | stirred Il
would strike, but Icould not bear this
much longer. Even If l succeeded in
lying still until the guard came, 1 ex-
pected his opening the door and coming
In would be my death warrant all the
same; for no doubt the reptile would
see that I was u man as soon as the
light was let in at the door. AT last
heard footsteps approaching. There
was rattling at the lock. 1t was the
guard. He opened the door. The
snake-a cobra di capello now saw
darted up its huge hooded head, with
the hideous rings about its eyes, as II
about to strike. II shut my eyes and
away with a swift motion and disap-
peared in the darkness. I staggei ed to
my feet and fell swooning in the arms
OF the guard. For weeks 1 was very
sick, and when was able to be about
found my hair was white as you now
see It,. I have not touched drop OF
liquor since.