Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-01-21
STORY OF A SNAKE GHARmER
Fearful Results of Recklessness.

DuChaillu, in his last book about Af
riea, says:
One day | witnessed a fearful scene
A man, native of Goree, an island or
the coast of Senegambia, who had the
reputation of being a snake-charmer
and was then at the Gaboon, had sue
ceeded in capturing one of these large
naia. He was bold man, and prided
himself on never being afraid of any
snake, however venomous the reptile
might be; nay, not cnly was he moi
afraid of any of them, but he would
fight with any of them, and get hole
of them.
| had often seen him with snakes il
his hands. He was careful, of course
to hold them just by the neck below
the head, in such manner that the
head could not turn on itself and bite
him.
That day he brought into a large
open place, perfectly bare of grass
one of these wild naja, that he had JUS
captured, and was amusing himself by
teasing the horrid and loathsome crea
ture when | arrived 1t was a huge
one!
Most of the people of the village had
flied, and those natives who like myself
were looking on, kept long way off
Not MpoDgwe man, not single in
habitant of the whole region l have ex-
plored, would have ever dared to dc
what the Goree man did.
Two or three times, as the snake
crawled on the ground, we made off in
the opposite direction with the utmost
speed, myself, am afraid, leading of
in the general stampede; though | had
provided myself with gun.
1t was perfectly fearful, perfectly
horrid and appalling, to see that man
making a plaything of this monster;
laughing, as we may say, at death, for
it could be hothing else, thought.
At, first when l saw him he had the
snake around his body, but he held II
firmly just below the neck, and l could
see by the muscles of his arm that he
had to use great strength. AS long as
this part of the body is held firmly the
snake loses much of its great power Of
crushing one to death, as the boa-con-
strictor or python does with larger an
imals, and as small snakes do with
smaller game; but with this naia the
danger would have been the venomous
bite
Then with his other hand he took the
tail of the snake, and gave it swing
and gradually unfolded the reptile from
his black body, which was warm and
shining with excitement, but always
holding the head On a sudden he
threw the snake on the ground. Then
the creature began to crawl away when
suddenly the Goree man came in front
of it with light stick and instantly
the monster erected itself almost to
half its full length, gave tremendous
whistle, which we all heard, looked
glaringly and fiercely in the mans face
with its sharp, pointed tongue out. and
then stood still as if it could not move.
The Goree man, with his little stick in
his left hand, touched it lightly, as
though to tease it. 1t was a fearful
sight-and if he had been near enough,
the snake would, no doubt, have sprung
upon its antagonist. The man, as he
teased and infuriated the snake with
the rod he held in his left hand, drew
the attention of the reptile toward the
stick; then suddenly and in the wink
of an eye, almost as quick as lightning,
with his right hand he got hold of the
creature just under his head.
The same thing that l have Just de-
scribed again took place. The snake
folded itself round his body; then he
unfolded the snake, which was once
more let loose, and, now this horrid
serpent got so infuriated that as soon
as he was thrown upon the ground he
erected himself, and the glare of his
eyes was something terrific. 1t was
indeed an appalling scene; the air
around seemed to be filled with the
whistling sound of the creature.
Alas! more terrible scene soon took
place! The man became bolder and
bolder, more and more careless, and
the snake probably more and more ac-
customed to the mode of warfare OF
his antagonist, and just as the monster
stood erect the man attempted to seize
its neck as he had done many and many
time before, but grasped the body
too low, and before he had time to let
it 90, the head turned on itself and the
man was bitten! l was perfectly
speechless, the scene had frozen nv
blood, and the wild shrieks of all those
round rent the air. The serpent was
loose and crawling on the ground, but
before it had time to go far, long pole
came down upon its back and broke its
spine, and in less time than l take to
write it down the monster was killed.
To the French doctor who had
charge of the little colony the man
went (happily he was just at hand J;
all the remedies were prompt and pow
erful; the man suffered intensely, his
body became swollen, his mind wan
dered, and his life was despaired of;
but at last he got better, and though
complaining of great pain near the
heart, he was soon able to go out again.
A short time after this accident, having
an ak in his hand, going as he said to
cut wood, he suddenly split his own