Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-09-16

round with his staff, and the under
wizards recommended their monoto-
nous music, while he lighted a fire.
He had missed one stubborn snake
which had refused to obey his will.
When the fire had burned up, the
snake-charmer again waved his wand
and recited still stronger words ofmagic.
Instantly a huge serpent rolled forth
from it's hiding-place, and gliding into
the fire, was there consumed.
The charmers killed some of their
prisoners and laid them on the ant hills,
for the ants to pick their bones. Some
the wizards swallowed: others they
placed alive in their bosoms, and al
lowed them to crawl all over their
bodies next to the naked skin. They
fondled them, and put them to their
lips; they suffered them to drink out
of their capturers' bowl, and struck
them smartly on the head if they drank
too eagerly. They piped to them, and
they danced. They made them come
and go like dogs. They coiled the big
gest round and round their necks. and
limbs, and bodies in LAGOON folds.
They forced the snakes to bite them,
and healed the wounds with touch
and word, and the jewellers in the vii
lage wondered more and more, and re-
joiced greatly that such potent cham
pions against the fatal foes who be-
leauguered them had visited their set
Element. Suddenly the chief magician
seized a hooded snake gliding noiseless-
ly upon the ground. It was one that
had not come under the influence of his
spells, having just writhed in from the
encircling wood. Instantly it rose in
wrath, it's neck pulled out like a blad-
der with it's savage passion. Out came
it's forked tongue, it's curved fangs fas-
tened on the charmers arm, and ere
long he was a corpse, the conqueror
gliding back in the forest in triumph,
and his comrades that had been watch
ing from the trees raised hiss of ex-
ultation, which made the villagers
blood run cold.
When I left the village the under.
wizards were raising their dreary fune-
raj wall In one of the garden-plots in
the outskirts an innocent looking
little rabbit, which had come to help
itself to the juicy blades and roots,
found that it was itself to be made
meal of. A feeling of semi-coma came
over me as [ looked at the helpless lit
tie thing, which was looking up as if
mesmerized at the terrible serpent,
ever coiling closer, that was looking
down upon it. [ shuddered, cold sweat
streamed down my face, [ felt as if, in
this strange land of snakes and magic,
my identity were in some way being
merged in that of the rabbit. With
violent effort [ wrenched myself away,
and wandered on through the mysteri-
GUS, oppressive, green gloom. [ saw
horned asps, vi ers branded as if in
warning with their initial puf-aders,
boles in quest of birds nests, 1.-THE,
thin, mud hued, little whipsnakes,
light bellied black snakes, crimson
blood-snakes, white-ladies darting like
flashes of light, but messengers of
deadly darkness, ringed coral-snakes,
as lovely and as lethal. cobras, and
lance-heads. Iroamed for miles through
regions dominated by monstrous bull
snakes, boas, pythons, and anacondas.
I trembled as I saw the parti-colored
pests, swimming toward me across
rivers and lagoons, and crushing the
first living thing they encountered with
an ease which plainly showed me what
would be my fate had { been the first
at hand [ held my breath as [ ap-
preached them lying motionless in the
dense underwood, with their vide awed
heads just peeping from between their
coils. [ approached through usher
| Jungle stream which I saw I must
ford-the deer, buffaloes, and fercer
beasts had made track straight down
for it, and, unless turned back, there
was no other road for me to travel.
Some Of the footmarks saw, some Of
the cries [ heard ahead, were not reas-
surfing, but in my dread of snakes I
had come to hold four-footed maraud-
ers cheap. My fears we're temporarily
dissipated by one of the most grandly
beautiful sig hts I had ever beheld. [
had read of the wonders of tropical
egetation-of it's climbing palms, it's
netting and festooning ianas, with
their lovely flowers. Now I saw some
thing of this kind. Clustered around
and dropping from the trees were long
thick creepers of gorgeous hues, those
that dangled gently swaying in almost
breathless air. stood for time, root
ed to the ground in startled admiration.
Then I walked on to get nearer view
of this magnificent sight. Suddenly
one of the creepers holding on by the
upper end, flung out the other-horror
of horrors, it was head-a boa's head.
The constructor seized a buffalo in it's
frightful jaws, and coiled itself round
and round it's victim. Crunch, crunch
went every bone in the wild beef; the
breath was rapidly squeezed out Of
him. Then it uncoiled itself, slavered
it's prey all over, and, opening it's
mouth to it's utmost, prepared to swal-
low it's evening meal. It was horrid to
see the creatures long body swelling
and sinking like pillows, and the buffa-
10 was forced along. Another bounced
upon puma another, upon a jaguar ;
two or three upon deer another
rible-upon a man another still
more horrible-upon woman and her
child.
Ugh those "lovely tropical creep