Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-05-28
THRILLING sNAKE STORY.


dence in mining speculatiOns, deter
mined, after some years residence. TO
settle permanently in the Brazlls. With
this end in view he bought and farmed
large tract of almost uncieared land
on the extren1e northwest frontier, and
pursued his clearing and farming with
great success and tolerahle profit, and,
what is more, with a certain prospect of
much greater profits to come in time.
He gave himself, after a time, short
Scotland, where he married his cousin,
with whom he again returned to his
plantation in Brazil. During his abb
senee. and according to his instructions,
as are built on all plantations-had
been erected in the midst of the clear
ing, with lofty veranda roundto keep
the rooms cool, and French windows
leading straight from the apartments to
the ground. Still young Mrs. Barclay,
though surrounded with everycomIorEs
was very far from being quite happy
for she was continually in terror
of the repulsiVe and 'tremendous-look-
| ing iAsects and reptiles with which all
the wilder parts of Brazil literally
abouud. She could not go to a.draw-
er without finding in it q centipede as
large as a little eel, or open a cupboard
without meeting with spider almost
as large as q small crab. Lizards OF
beautiful colors, but of repulsive ap-
pearance, had to be swept out of the
| bedroom at night. These were harm
who would care to wake up and find
them era wiling over their faces, or hear
| their long nails Gathering along the
l wooden floor. The climate, too, told on
Mrs. Barclays health. The reptiles by
day and the mosquitoes by night made
her unusually susceptible of Irritation
and alarm. But of all her horrors the
| greatest she entertained was that
| against snakes and serpents of all
/ kinds. This was ineradlcable rom her
nature, and was in fact as much part
! of her nature as the overwhelming an
tipathies some ladies feel to the sight
of alrat, spider, or a bull. UnfoFtun-
lately Mrs. Barclay lived in part Of
i the country which was infested with
snakes; some harmless, some deadly /;
but, whether harmless or deadly the
unconquorable terror she evinced was
the same to all.J. Once atuboba, quick
and deadly snake, was killed in her
house. At another time coral-snake,
the most beautiful and most quickly
deadly of all the Venomous reptiles
God has created, was found and Killed
with ease upon the rough lawn, if we
may dignity by such a term the short,
brown, burned mp herbage which sur
rounded the house. At another time a
small anaeonda, about eleven feet long,
was found in the woods near the house
and killed and, what was much worse,
constant rumors were brought in that
two verv large serpents of the same
u class had been found in fhe forest not
: far of. Poor Mrs. Barclays ternors
were not diminished by the eZaggera-
4 ted tales of her native servants, till aG
length they rose to such pitch that II
seemed very likely, as she often said,
that she would die if n serpent came
, near her. Her fears got to such height
that at last she would not venture out
1 Ill -N1~ n~eaV1 hnr
this frame of mind it viii easily be be-
lieved that her life was a misery to her
- self, and nut of much comfort to hel
wild, fearnaught husband.
Early one summer morning the lat
= ter went to look after the progress o.
some rather distant clearings he was
making of course he went on horse
= back, and of course be carried witt
him the heavy old-fashiOned5. .dou BILE
barreled musket, without which, II
:. that time and in those wild regions, nS
, planter ever stirred far abroad. Bott
d barrels were loaded with heavy charge
s of slugs, sufficient to bring down 8
deer, if one came near enough, or, bet
ter still, enough to scare away or stol
the charge of a iaguar or tree-panther
Mr.. Barclays survey took MN Tathe.
late, and it was Ejgh in the MONDAY
fheat before he returned through I
short belt of forest which lay betWeel
i. his new clearings and his home. a
that time the tropical forests are as 81
lent and as motioDless as if they werl
dead. There is, to be sure, q drows.
chirp of the great grasshoppers, ant
now and then humming- bird, who's
gaudy cOlOrs are all hidden by the III
= tensely rapid motion of its wings as
l. passes from. flower to flower with
!. droning buzz which in such a silenc
is almost noise. But the great tree
themselves, and their equally thicl
mass of tropic underground between
are all as mOtionless and still as If the
had been carved in stone.
G. 1t was through such a scene as thi
that Mr.. Barclay rode on his retur
- home, and it was amidst such stillnes
that his attention was at once attracte
. TO a large creeper hanging from tire
in front of him, and which, amidst th
deadly stiffness around, was sWingin
quickly. Such signs in the forest al
n never to be disregarded; and Mr.. Bal
clay was too old woodsman not to t
at once on the alert. After waiting fC
some minutes till the oscillation cease
and being reassured by the quietne'
N, of his horse, which would have bee
the first to scent jaguar or a pum
\ he rode carefully toward the tree, an
at little distance examined it, but f
some time in vain. At last the cau'
PA of the disturbance and of the dang,
er also became apparent on close 1nspe
"a ton. On limb of the tree oYerlool
lD& El6 DAbn ldE d nuk6 DAdGA AGdCO4lu
Id piled in great masses, fold over fold,
IT. is its won't, with the end of its tail ju
curled round the limb on which /
great bulk rested, and its head left fre
Is, and elevated about two feet above II
2 rest of It's body. In this position
was quite prepared for action, an
. holding on by its tail, could at on
b. drop its great length down with resis
less force on any unhappy animal
. even person, that might pass below, al
when once secured in its gigantic fold
> the rest was certain, whether to man
n goat, or deer or sheep. Mr.. Barcla
however, was not inclined to give
such chance as this on his accOun
and waited QuieblY at little distan
III till, by some cautious manoeuverlngy
got full view of the creatures he
against the bright blue sky. Then
II fired, and with one charge of slugs
II shattered the huge reptiles head thS
II after writhing for single moment,
III came in a long heep tO The ground.
u was far from dead, however, and plum
ed wildly. so that for time he dul
. not approach it, as it lay knocking t
leaves and branches about in all dirt
tions. at last it lay still, when he 6
= a close shot with his second barrel, a
a.. this so completely shattered the 81
- | pent's head that it never moved aga
In In ! Like a cautious woodsman, howev
BOT, Mr.. Barclay did not feel secure till
to had divided with his knife, and I
ave without great difficulty, the vertebl
in the centre of the back. The serpt
W measured nearly twenty-11ne feet
yles length, and was evidently, from
great thickness, immensely powPrf
,ds The only question which remained
ash the successful hunter was, what v
&c. to be done with the carcass. He v
the 10th to leave 1t where 1t was besid
~ he wanted its skin-as what victoriC
~ sportsman does not ?-and above all
- wished toshow Mrs. Barclay how cas-
such seeming monsters could be kill'
Not unnaturally, then, though in
= evil hour, he determined to drag
home. For this purpose he undid
stirrup-leather, and making It fast o.
tea the head of the snake, left q deep ms
Of in the herbage, and sometimes Il
mes. of blood on the grass over which
,ttce carcass was dragged. As he RdvauC
fngs | yr,stt