Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-06-09
A GREAT SERPENT.
A Remarkable Adventure.

The following is from BickmOre'S
Eastern Archipelago" published by
the AppletOns:
From Singapore, my plan was to
proceed directly to China, but find
ing in port a French ship which was
bound for Hong Kong via Saigon, the
Capitol of Cochin China, I engaged
passage on her in order to see some
thing also of the French possessions
in the East. Just as we were ready to
sail, l met 4 gentleman who had.
lately returned from long journey to
CambOdia, whittier he had gone to
photograph the ruins Of the wonder
ful temples in that land. He had
specimen for me, he said, which
must accept before knew what it
was, a condition / readily complied
with, but when the specimen ap-
peared, / must confess I was not
little surprised to find it was an
enormous python. 1t had been
caught by the natives of Bankok
after it had gorged itself on some un-
fortunate beast, but that was some
time before, and the brute was evil
IDENTIFY ready for another feast. My
cans containing alcohol were already
on board the ship, but 1 took the
monster with me when I went off to
her late in the evening, designing to
drown it in its box and then transfer
his snakeship to a can. The captain,
with the greatest pOliteness, met me
at the rail, and showed me my state
room in the after cabin, and the
sailors began to bring my baggage,
when first of all appeared the box
containing the pythonl I shouted
out to the cabin boy that that box
must be left out on deck, and then, in
low tone, explained to the captain
that it contained an enormous snake.
A" Un serpent? an serpent ?n he ex-
claimed, raising up both hands in
horror, in such an expressive way as
only q Frenehman can, and proceed
ing to declare that he ought to have
known that a passenger who was a
naturalist would be. sure to fill the
whole ship with all sorts of venom
Gus beasts. All the others were little
less startled, and Stunned me in the
half-lighted cabin, as if I were in
league with evil spirits, but quieted
their fears by ordering a sailor to put
the box into q large boat that was
placed right side up on the main deck, I
and promising to kill the great reptile /
tomorrow.
May 24th.-Early this morning we
made sail, and concluded to let my
troublesome specimen remain until
We were out of the harbOr; but now,
in the changing of the mOnsOOns, the !
winds are light and battling, and we I
finally came to anchor once more ; |
and sailor who got up into the boat /
said something about ''ie SeTpent.n / /
was on the quarterback at the time, /
and determining at once not to be
troubled more with itjumped down
on the main deck, ran to the side of /
the boat, and seiZing the box gave it
a toss into the sea, but just as it was
leaving my hands | thought to my
self, "HOw light it isl" and the sailor
said, ''te serpent NEST pas encore =
pas encore ~ We all looked over the
ships side, and there was the box
floating quietly away, and it was evil
dent that the monster had escaped.
Every one then asked, "Where is
be ?' but no one could tell. l assured
the captain that he was in the box
when put it on the sampan to come
off to the ship. "Is he on board?"
was the next question from the
mouths of all. We looked carefully
INTO the boat and round the deck,
Dut could detect TO trace of him what
ever, and an, except myself, came to
he conclusion that he was not
brought on board, and then went
back to their work. The box in
which he had been confined was
about a foot and half long by a foot
high and foot wide, and over the
,Op were four or five strips of board,
Zach fastened at either end with a
'ingle nail. On inquiring more close
Y, the sailor told me that before /
eized the box, the side with the stats
vas one of the perpendicular sides,
md had not been placed uppermOst,
IS it ought to have been. "Then," L
" he is here on board some I
where, beyond a doubt. and brought ]
him here, and it's my duty to find
him and kill him."
We had four horses on deck, and
he middle of the boat was filled with
lay for them, and under that it was '
that the reptile had erawled
way. In the bottom of the boat, at, {
vas a triangular deck, and as 1 climb s
d up a second time / noticed that the {
'oard which formed the apex of the {
riangle was loose, and moved a {
title to one side. Carefully raising
his, l espied, to my horror, the great {
ythOn closely eoiled away beneath, {
he place being so small that the loose G
Oard rested on one of his coils. /
Tore a thin suit, a Chinese baju, or {
bose blouse, a pair OF canvas shoes, 0
nd large sun hat. Throwing off I
~ hat, that l might go into the a
readful struggle unimpeded, shout a
d out for long knife, knowing well D
nat what l must try to do was to cut d
i'm in two, and that he would at il
smpt to catch my hand in his jaws, n
nd, if ne should succeed in doing Il
nat, he would wind himself around
lie quick as a man could wind the
sh of long whip around a fixed I,
lex, and certainly he was large =
lough and strong enough to crush =
le largest horse. The cook handed :,
.e q sharpe knife more than u foot =
ng, and holding the board down | y
18th my feet, l thrust the blade ~
trough the crack, and, wrenehing !.
ith all my might, tried to break the :.
'eat reptiles backbone, and thus -
nder all that part of the body - -
hind the fracture helpless. Despite ~ =,
y utmost efforts, he pulled away the II n
life, and escaped two or three feet al
rward, where there was more room bs
lder the decks. BY this time there Ie
rs the greatest confusion. The cap an
in, evidently believing that discre- ge
m is the better part of valOr, ran e.
low the moment he was satisfied
at 1 had indeed discovered the ~ ~
Onster. seized a brace of revolvers, I,o ho
d perching himself upon the mon W nc
" rail, leaned his back against the IO
izzen rigging, and held one in each I
nd, ready to fire into the boat at 2
e slightest alarm. The sailors all br,
thered round the boat and stood ret