The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-11-21

thong to the upper button-hole of my
coat, it had just swallowed the lowermost
of them, and was struggling hard with
| the next, when | was attracted by Its
movements. OF course, I lost no time
| in severing my connection with the horri-
BILE creature, by cutting the string: had
| not done which promptly, | think it
quite probable that [ should have been
| sucked in when my turn came, which
| would have been after the third duck,
for the reptile was big enough and ugly
enough to have held US all four Then
as [ scrambled up among the branches in
search of safer asylum, what was my
horror to find them interviewer and hiss
| ing with serpents of all sorts and sizes.
each and every one of which evidently
looked upon me as an interloper and in
truder upon their private premises; The
snakes were of smaller kind as | con-
tinued to ascend the tree, aad thought
at first there might be some advantage in
that. and kept going up. But, ugh just
as L was about to grasp a branch, for the
purpose of swinging myself into crotch
l saw lying stretched out upon it, yell
low. misunderstanding snake, which l at
once recognized as a. specimen of the
deadly dzaf.5ta, or sulphur-viper, one
tOuCh nun Vic iduSS VI WHICH, ana III
half an hoGr | should have been a llyid
corpse! Now | knew that | had got up
into the region of poisonous reptiles. and
wished myself back with the boas: but
Oh consideration | took middle course
and lowering myself down to the branch
es among which had noticed the smaller
constructors, | unslung my gun, intending
to fire shot from It every now and then,
to keep the noxious creatures at bay. It
would not go off, however, being thor
oughly saturated with water; and as
night was coming on now, | dashed my
self to branch with my belts, as well as
| could and strove to shut out from my
mind the prospect of a weary and horri-
BILE night
ssIhe rain was over and the thunder
could be heard rolling far far away; but
the night was still dark one, and |
knew that it would yet be many hours
before the waters had fallen sufficiently
for me to make my escape.
Il tried hard for awhile to combat the
approach of sleep, but at last L could re-
sist It's influence no longer; my weary
eyelids closed and [ fell into a heavy
slumber How long | had been asleep |
cannot say, but know that | was start
led into wide wakefnlness sometime Ill
the night by one Of the most frlghtfui up
roars it had ever been my fortune to
hear.
''For moment [ imagined | had fall
en- asleep in menagerie, and that the
keepers were poking at me with their
long poles to rouse ME. Some creature
and it WASH a very light one, | can
tell you-went scrambIing mp my body
20 gain the higher branches of the tree,
leaving behind 1t deep traces Of It's claws
ON my flesh. Glaiing eyebails were to
be seen everywhere | turned, and the
trees was transformed into a wild and
hdeous orchestra, with screams ofIeop
ards and other beasts OF prey, mingled
with the kissing of snakes and the rap
ping of their scales as they struggled
with one another In the turmoil OF the
night.
From the lower part of the tree came
up, ever and anon, the granting and
growing of the large beasts. such as bears
that had sought refuge there by swim
ming from the neighbering jungle.
Nothing that | had ever read con
corning Pandemonium was comparable
for horror to the tumnlt by which | was
surrounded on that memorable night.
Years appeared to have passed over my
head before morning began 10 dawn, and
then, in the FIRST gray twilight, | had
glimp<es here aud there Of the creatures
among whom | had passed the night.
There were cougars, and spotted leopards
and ferce-eyed cats OF ali sorts and sizes
glaring at me from the hooks and knot
holes of the tree, but | did not notice
single serpent now, aud as I could see in
the increasing light that the waters had
nearly subsided, supposed that the rep
tiles had betaken themselves to their
haunts amid the roots and hollows OF the
| tree.
Two huge, brown bears leaped from
the lower branches and scuttled away for
the jungle as | made my way down the
| tree, from which | dropped on the soft
p!ashy ground with thankful heart, and
| an inward resolve not to be caught in
rain-storm in those regions agaiil-not if
| knew it.
|