The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-11-22


precious draught Of milk with jealou
care, hurried back 10 the spot where
at the foot of the huge TALBOT tree. Ia,
Oswald, yet asleep. The snake, how
ever, as If uneasy, was beginning 10 stir
Is monstrous head wagged slowly from
side TO side among the wild flowers, ant
It's slender tongue prolruded from be
tween its grim jaws. But / was in time
and As | poured the milk, or rather
portion of it, on the ground, so that
trail should lead to the spot where | sa
down the brass drinking cup, with wha
of It's contents remained, | was careful I,
avoid, by any abrupt gesture. incensiDs
the tic alunga.
Then came minute or two of agDnizeC
expectancy, and then, 10 my great JOY,
saw the reptile slowly uncoil himself, eyi
IDENTIFY making for the milk. First one
wreath and another of the snakes Timber
length was untwined, and the great ser
pent, brushing through the forest gras.
and tiowrets stopped its broad head Il
drink. As | saw Oswald thus freed
and he unsupported foe draw further
and further away from the place where
he reposed, felt the strength which
come weakness. Ny nerves being ne
longer braced by the sense of Oswald
mortal peril, the instructive terror and
/ disgust which | had from childhood fell
/ for the serpent tribe overpowed me, and
| grew dizzy and weak, and could scarce
| ly stand or see.
What was this before my dim ewes ?
The we | known porch of the Dutch
cOlonlst's summer house, overgrown by
trailing creepers, and all but choked hv
tall weeds. Mechanically | entered.
ndsinking down on a Wondering wooden
seat, once decked with silken cushions
and gold leaf, l gradually regained the
physical strength which had deserted me.
and with it the capacity for thought 1t
Is curious how, in such cases Of extreme
exhaustion, the benumbcd mind slowly
resumes some abandoned train ofthought,
and thus it was with me- BY degrees
remembered Oswalds danger, my own
efforts to save him, and"
What was that rustling among the
stems. and leaves, and buds of the
luxurious plants that festooned the
shattered windows of the summer house,
in all the rank profusion of their tropical
growth. Surely, surely not the ripping,
undulating motion with which a hugh
snake drags himself through the brakes
and jungle grass Yes. my fears were
but too true for there, in the open win
dow space-the broken trellis- work of
which had been replaced by wild vines
and dangling orchids-appeared, at Il
height of six or seven feet above the
ground, the hideOus head Of the serpent
that had lately menaced Oswald, and
now confronted me.
And then it flashed upon me that this
deserted kiosk was probably the rep
tiles actual home, and that, IA though in
very irony Of terror, | had ventured to
intrude into the liar OF the terrible crca-
ture, from the sight Of which hld-once
that Oswald's safety seemed assured
reeled dzzily away. / had often heard
of the strange taste which snakes evince
fQl an abandoned human dwelling, and
how frequently they haunt the outbuild-
ings Of Europeans abOdes and the huts
Of the natives; and yet here had | rashly
strayed into the l.,rlsin:g-. :l,s-a NJ fl4a
deadliest guardian Of the Ceylon Jungle
That the snake was perturbed there
could be no doubt. 1t curved its grace
full neck like that of swan, and Kissed
slightly, while its broad Jaws were partly
open, | fancIel that / could see the
curved poison fangs, more to be dread
ed than ever was Malay crease or Moorish
dagger, while the jewel-bright eyes
glittered ominously. One wild, piercing
shrek could not repress; and then the
futility Of resistance or Of flight forced
itself upon me, and | stool motiouless
as a marble statue of embodied fear,
gazing at the emeraldine eyes, fixed with
60 pitilcss stare on mine. The subtle,
suffocating oder which large serpents
exhale, when angry, reached me but al
ready | gave myself up for lost, aud
waited passive till the tic paluuga should
make his fatal dart
The sibilant noise from the snakes
halfshut jaws had grown louder, and the
bright, baleful eyes more menacing,
while the grim head lowered high aloH,
ready to strike-when, suddenly, some
thing bright flashed through the flower
ing vines of the creeping plant, and the
snakes Lideous head and 1.-THE body
disappeared as if by magic. Then fol
lowed the signs Of fierce struggle,
repeated blows, trampling feet, swapping
boughs, and the accents Of human voices,
and then Oswald came leaping through
the doorway, clasped me in his arms, and
bore me out into the broad light Of the
day, where writhing yet-the car
cass of the dead snake, hewn through by
the sharp cutting axe which Oswald still
grasped in his right hand
"Shabashi y exclaimed Lall Singh,
whose swar;hy face cleaned with delight
as he spurned the body of the vanqmshed
reptile. ut was well that the first blow
went home, or it would have Jared Jadiy
with the youlg sahih wh9n TINS accused
SLAYER Of men turned on him. Yah ! I'd
sooner have faced tiger
To Lall Singh | was, indeed. IN no
slight degree indebted for my safety
Convinced from the agitation Of my 1uan-
ner, that something was wrong, lie had
followed me, and was in the act Of aroui-
ing Oswald from his slumber, when the
piercing shrek which fear had wrung
from me reechoed through the woods,
and called attention to the imminence Of
the peril. Then Oswald had suatehed
Up che Of the Keen short a46s which the
native w0odcutters had left sticking in
tree trunk, and had been fortunate
enough to disable the snake at the first
blow
My story Is now told, and l have only
to add that | was overwhelmed with
praises and oaresses by the Fo3ster fami
ly-hitherto 50 cold-and that, on the
following day, Mr.. Forster himself rode
over to my fathers house to entreat Mr. /
Travers, from whom he had Of late been
estranged, to accept his renewed friend
ship, and to ask for my hand on behalf
Of his son.
Oswald lost his passage on the home
ward-bound steamer that was to touch at
Point de Gale and when be did visit
EurGne be Lnny with him E,llnn L..