The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-06-04

clay's survey took him rather late, a,
lt was high in the MONDAY heat befo
he returned through short belt of 10
est which lay between his new clea
| lngS and his home.
Az Ghat time the tropical forests n
as silent and as motionless as If The
were dead. There is, to be sure.
urowsy ehirp of tie great grasshopper
ana now and then of a humming-bir,
whose gaudy colors are all hidden b
the intensely rapid motion of its wins
as IL passes from flower to flower vii
dronlng buzz, which in such siIenc
Is almost noise. Eut the great tree
themselves, and their equally thic
mass OF tropic underground between
are an as fnotionless and still as if the
mad been carved in stone.
~ is not now my province to ente
on description of a tropical forest
when at midday man and beast an,
reptile seek shelter from the intens,
neat OF the sun and leave the woods il
Their most silent grandeur. Those wht
nave witnessed this impressive seen,
KNOW that 1t is one which cannot easily
pe described, and one which can never
pe Forgotten. One most curious thing
| connected with this still quiet of the
noon Is the absence OF any motion in
tne long tangled garlands of beautiful
climbing plants which wreath the gi-
ant limbs Of tropical II ees from stem to
crown.
Some of these, covered with gorgeous
mowers, are as thick as the BODY of a.
morse, and soitough and dinterwoven that
IL would require almost hurricaLe to
move them. Others there are. howey-
er, whlch, though light as thistle down,
are covered with minute blossoms, and
Which sway gently to and fro on the
slIghtest breath OF air, or on .he mere
passage of the traveller. 1t is the dead
stilness OF these light gossamer webs
at noon which makes tile ouietness of
Tue forest seem more impressive; for at
morn and eve, and even at night. their
motion seldom ceases.
1t was through such q scene as this
that Mr.. Barclay rode on his return
home, and it was amid such stiffness
that his attention was at once attract
ed to q large creeper hanging from n |
tree in front of him, and whf,h anil |
the deadly stiffness around was swino-
Ing quickly. Such signs in the forest
are never to be disregarded; and Mr..
Barclay was TOO old woodsman not to
be at once ON the alert. After WAITING
Tor some minutes TIN the oscillatie5
and being reassured by the
Iuletness OF the horse, which would
AVE been the first to scent a iapuar or
puma, he rode carefully towards the
rec. and at little distance examined
I, Dut Tor some time in vain. Al last
he cause OF the disturbance and of the
langer also became apparent on close
On limb of tree over
ooking the path lay huge black ana
onda, plled Ill great masses fold over
oiu, as It is wont, with the end of It's
all JusC curled round the limb on which
IS great Ibulk rested, land its head left
zee, and elevated about two feet above ,
ne rest OF Its body. Ia this position it :
as quite prepared for action and hold :
* on by its tail, could at once drop its
reat length down with resistless force
4 any unhappy animal, or even per-
IN, That might pass below, and when
ace secured in its gigantic folds, the i,
'st was certain, whether to man ,or Z
oat, deer or sheep. Mr.. Barclay. :
owever, was notincllned to give it such q
chance as this on his account. and =
alted quietly at u little distance lii.
some cautious manpuvring he got a
IL view or the creatures head against y
e bright blue sky. Then he fired
III with one charge of slugs so shat -
red the huge reptiles head that, after y
rlthlng tor single moment. if came
along heap TO the ground.
1t was far from dead, however: and :,
lnged wildly, SO that for a time he y
rst not approach it as it lay knocking
leaves about in all directions. AZ
C 1t lay still, when he got close shot
th his second barrel, and this so com +;
'tely shattered the serpent's head III
lt lt never moved again. Like a eau
us woodsman, however, Mr.. Barclay
not feel secure till he bad divided
n MS knife, aHd not without great Nv
lculty, the yertebr@ in the centre of "a ~,
Dack' The serpent measured near rass
twenty mine feet in length, and was -.
ieltly, from its great thickness i'm .
nsely powerful. H.
ne only question which remained to SIS SIS
successful hunter was, what was to co,r
lone with the carcass, He was 10th ioi q
leave 1t where it was; besides. he ,,o,
lted It's sktn-as what victorious W, {,
rtsmen does not 2-and, above all. u
wished to show Mrs. Barclay how ;,
~ such seeming monsters could be low y,
eel. Not, unnaturally, then, though al dC"
n eYIl hour, he determined to DRAG we
ONE. For this purpose he undid
'tirrup Leather, and making it fast
the head OF the snake, led his horse I
g, which, as it towed the snake, left ty-
ep mark in the herbage, and some on
IS trail of blood on the grass over try
n the carcass was dragged. As he Dor
need, with the huge reptile trailing in |
5 heeis, some evil genius put it into oce,
ead that now was fine opportu- wre
TO give Mrs. Barclay n lesson that dan
d cure her of her fear of serpents. iafe
ever seems to have thought of the foo.
CT unkindly, or to have entertain sire
moment an idea that her wo- sple
S nature would not as soon and as Whe
get over It's repHgnance to these the
les as he III his wild, rough life had hell:
Deen enabled to do3 There is no ed t
puC that nothing more than a migl
pfactIcal Joke entered his mind, leon
ms was perhaps the only kind of gifts
lhe polhs OF which he was capable lawy
reelylng. His simple plan OF mis- all n
was soon lald. lie determined to then
'ne serpent into the house. and coil bet
.ie elItliS-fooih III such manner or al
10 "0uhued parCs could easily be even
u. ne uragSedlG, therefore, with the Il
eie'IoIe alohg the Veranda, and ed it
naifaged to coil away its. great socke
in such manner that its injuries life Il
ii'uvei, Wt, anu IL iooked indeed as if score
When all had been quietly ar i'm be
d by himself, he went OUT and draft
iof servant to fetch down her are
'ssf whof as is the custom of the bank
~, was sleeping out the great swift.
II the day In her own rhom. Lit-
'pectlng what was to follow, she
Town at once, and the instant
Tered the sitting-roUm, Mr.. Bar An
,IPpeo I ons SNee pSSsehed the door ing fir
!. uei, .,.., frient
II passSed a afsef@at@SSa can now only 'sFr
sseu WIN hoffclf. Fer screams kind
e setPenI, the sefpehG ~ were ut men
shl-ll ana iolie as toqulte drown and Il
lrciay calls TO her that the SER seal ii