American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-09-12
VOL. XXIV.

juicy blades and roots, fountsthat it was
itself to be made meal of A feeling
of semi-coma came over me as i
looked ut the helpless little thing, which
was looking up as if mesmerized at the
terrible serpent, ever coiling closer. that
was looking down on it. L 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 a rabbit With
Il violent effort l wrcnched myself away
| and wandered on through the mysterious,
oppressive, green gloom. i saw horned
asps, vipers branded as if in warning
with their initial, puif-adders, carpet
snakes writing up slim tree-boies in
quest of birds nests, 1.-the, thin, mud
hued little whipsnakes, ight-bellied
blacksnakes. crimson bloodsnakcs, white
ladies darting like flashes of light, but
| messengers of deadly darkness, ringed
coral-snakes. as lovely and as lethal,
cobras and lanceheads. l roamcd for
miles through regions dominated by
monstrous bull snakes boas, pythons and
anscondas. l trembled rs | saw the
parti-colored pests swimming toward
me across rivers and lagoons and crush
ing the first living thing they encoun-
tered with an ease which plainly showed
what would have been my fate had |
been the first at hand. l held my breath
as | passed them lying motionless in the
dense underwood, with their white awed
heads just peeping from beneath their
coils. l approached though lushcr jun
gle stream which l saw that l must
ford-the deer, butfaloes and fiercer
beasts had made track straight
down for it. and, unless l turned
back, there was no other road for me to
travel. Some of the footmarks l saw,
some of the cries l heard ahead, were
not reassuring, but in my dread of snakes
L had come to hold four-footed maraud-
ers cheap. My fears were temporarily
dissipated by one of the most grandly
beautiful sights l had ever beheld. l
had read of the wonders of tropical veg
etation-of its climbing palms, its net
ting and festooning lianas, with their
lovely flowers. Now l saw something of
this kind. Clustered round and droop-
ing from the trees were long, thick
creepers of gorgeous hues, those that
dangled gently swaying in the almost
breathless air. l stood tor time,
rooted to the ground in startled admira-
ton. Then l walked on to get a nearer
view of this magnificent sight. Sudden
ly one of the creepers, holding on by the
upper end, flung out the Other-horror
OF horrors! it was Il head-a boa's head.
The constructor seized buffalo with its
frightful jaws and coiled itself round
and round its victim. Crunch, crunch,
went every bone in the wild beef; the
breath was rapidly squeezed out of him.
Then it uncoiled itself, slavered its prey
all over, and, opening its mouth to the
utmost, prepared to swallow its evening
meal. 1t was horrid to see the creatures
long body swelling and sinking like bill
lows as the buffalo was forced along.
Another pounced upon puma; another
upon a jaguar; two or three upon deer;
another-horrible-u a man; another
still more hOrrible-upon woman and
her child.
Ughl those "lovely tropical creepers"
what Nightmares had they become, as
they lay gorged with food, bloated and
torpid
And yet, in spite of the awful deaths
of my fellow creatures-so selfish is hu
man nature-f could, not help finding
comfort in that stupid content.
Now" l said within myself, shall
be able TO cross the river in safety; yet
God knows that my heart bleeds for
those poor creatures, though they were
not white. 1t was sickening to see a
stout man crunched like snail in that
way. Never shall l forget the woman's
awful scream, and oh, that poor, help
less little babel Still the beasts of prey
are slain, and the hideous snakes are
powerless or purposeless to harm me-"
advanced toward the river, gliding
dreamily through the still forest so late
ly the scene of blood-curdling slaughter,
but now once more hushcd in enchanted
calm. But from the water suddenly
arose a boa's head, far bigger than had
yet seen; out of the water undulated a
boa's body, which seemed as if it would
never cease billowing itself on shore.
fled in terror, but could not help
looking over my shoulder as fed.
The big boa, in passing, licked up the
other boas as unconcernedly as if they
had been mere shrimps, and still pursued
me.
My foot slipped, and his curved teeth
were in me.
Again felt the cold chill run through
my frame, as l had done when l beheld
the fascinated rabbit.
The coils were crunching me.
In my agony gave one frantic fling
and-all was over.
had kicked Off half my bed-clothes,
and twisted the other half tight round
my neck, and the night before, after
looking at the cuts in a natural-history
book, l had taken cool, light, yet
heavy, summer supper of cucumber an
ndturdi.-Ihe SATURDAY Journal.