Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-06-19
, A TERRIBLE BEDFELL0W.

siderable curiosity. His face indicated
a man of mot over thirty years. period
at which men are still young; but his
hair was as white as fresh.fallen snow.
One seldom sees, even on the heads Of
the Oldest men, hair Of such Immaculate
whiteness. He sat by my side ia a car
of the Great Western railroad, in Can
ada, and was looking out of the window.
Suddenly turning his head he caught me
in the act of staring at him--a rudeness
of which / was ashamed was about
to say words of apology, when he quietly
remarked: etrgu tlo8e rlfIW ~
Don't mention it, sir; I'm used to
it" t]iHi -ihl 7la
The frankness Of this observation
pleased me, aud in a very little time we
were conversing on terms of familiar
acquaintanceship; and before long he
told me the whole story.
/ was soldier in the army of In
dia," said he, "and as is often the case
with soldiers, l was little too fond of
liquor. One day | got drunk and was
shut up in the black.hole for it, l
slumped down upon the floor of the
dungeon, and | was just dropping off
to sleep, when felt cold, Shiny shape
crawling across my right hand as it lay
stretched out before my head on the
floor. I-knew at once what it was--a
snake OF course my first impulse was
to draw away my hand; but knowing that
if did so the poisonous reptile would
probably strike its fangs into me, lay
still, with my heart beating in my breast
like trip hammer. OF course my fright
sobered me instantly. | realized all my
peril in its fullest extent o, how |
Iamented the hour that had touched
liquor In every glass of liquor they
say there is a serpent; but it does not
come in the shape it came to me. With
slow undulsting motion the reptile
dragged it's carcass across my face, inch
by inch, and crept down over my breast
and thrust its head inside my jacket As
| felt the hideous scraping Of the Shiny
body over my cheeks it was only by the
most tremendous effort that ! succeeded
In restraining myself from yelling
loudly with mingled terror and disgust
AT last felt the tail wriggling down
towards my chin; but imagine what !
felt atheart, if you can imagine it, as
realized that the dreadful creature had
coied itself up under my jacket as !
lay, and had seemingly gone to sleep,
for it was as still as death. Evidently it
had no idea that l was a human crea-
ture; if 1t had it would never have acted
in this manner. All snakes are cow
ardly. and they will not approach a
man unless to strike him in sefdefeuse
Three hours lay with dreadful weight
in my bosom, and each minute was like
an hour to me-like year. l seemed
TO have lived a lifetime in that brief
space. Every incident of my life passed
across my memory in rapid succession,
as they say is the case with a drowning
man, thought of my mother, away in
old England; my happy home by the
Avon; my Mary, the girl / loved, and
never expected to see them more.
"For, no matter how long | bore this, l
felt that it would end in death at last. l
lay as rigid as a corpse, scarcely daring
even to breathe, AID all the time my
breast was growing colder and colder
where the snake was lying against it,
with nothing but thin cotton shirt be-
tween my skin and its. | knew if /
stirred it would strike; but l felt that
could not bear this much longer Even
II succeeded in dying still until the
guard came, expected his opening the
door and coming in would be my death
warrant all the same, for no doubt the
reptile would see that | was a man as
soon as the light should be let in at the
door. AT last / heard footsteps sp-
preaching. There was rattling at the
lock. IL was the guard. He opened the
door. The snake-a cobra di capello, /
now saR-darting up its huge hooded
head, with the hideous rings around its
Eyes, as il about to strike. shut my
eyes and murmured prayer. Then II
SSil;ded away with a swift motion, and
disappeared in the darkness | staggered
TO my feet and fell swooning into the
arms Of the guard. For weeks after ]
was very sick, and when able to be about
found my hair was white as you now
see it. / have not touched q drop Of
!