River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-01-10
A Terrible Combat.

The ship Prosperity, from London,
reached one of the West India islands, in
May, 1856 One of the seamen named
Jarvas, having left the vessel, wandered
about the island on a sultry day, such as
are frequent in that part of the globe.
icing oppressed by the intense heat,
and fatigued with previous excrtions, he
inconsiderately laid himself down to sleep,
reclining his head on small hlllock,
oppaslte rock about ten feet high. He
lay on his back; and HE eyes after he
had slept little, were directed, as the
first object that met them to the perpen-
dicular height between them. What was
his horror to discover on the top of it an
enormous rattlesnake, with its keen and
beautiful, yet malignant eyes, steadily
fixed on him.
He felt as if charmed to the spot. The
witchefy Of the sefpent's eyes So irresisti-
bly, rooted him to the ground, that for the
moment he did not wish to remove them
from his formidable opponent. The huge
reptile gradually and slowly uncoiled its
body, all the while steadily keeping its
ewes f-ed on those of its intended victim.
jarvas now cried out, without being
able to move:
Hell bite mel Take him away. take
him away"
The snake now began to writhe its body
down a fissure in the rock, keeping its
head elevated more than foot from the
ground. Its rattles made very little noise.
1t every moment darted out its forked
tongue, its ewes became reddish and i'm
famed, and it moved rather quicker than
at first. 1t was now within two yards of
its intended victim, who by some means
had dissipated the charm, and, reused by
a sense of his awful danger, determined
to stand on the defensive.
To run away from it, Jarvis knew
would be impraeticable, as the snake
would instantly dart its whole body after
him. He therefore resolutely stood up,
and put strong glove which he hap
pened to have with him on his right
hand.
He stretched out his arm. The snake
approached slowly and cautiously toward
him, darting out its tongue still more fire.
quentIy, and when about a yard distant
made.a violent spring.
Jarvis caught it in his right hand,
directly under its head, and squeezed 1t
with all his power. It's eyes almost
started out of its head; it lashed its body
on the ground, at the same time rafting
loudly. He watched an opportunity, and
suddenly holding the animals head while
for moment it drew in its tongue, he, by
a violent contraction of all the muscles of
his hand, contrived to close effectually. its
Jaws.
Much was now done, but much more
was to be done. He had avoided much
danger, but he was still in very perilous
circumstance s. IF he moved his right
hand from its neck for moment, the
snake, by avoiding suffocation, could
easily muster sufficient power to force its
head out of his hand and if he withdrew
his hand from its jaws, he would he IN
the power of its most dreaded fangs. He
retained, therefore, his hold with both his
hands. He drew its body between his
thighs IN order TO aid the compression
and hasten suffocation.
Suddenly the snake which had remain
ed quiescent for few minutes, brought
up its tail, hit him violently on the head,
and then darted its body several times
very tightly around his waist Now was
the acme of his danger. Thinking, there
fore, that he had sufficient power over its
body, he withdrew his right hand from
its neck. and took (the work of mo-
ment) his large sailors knife out of his
pocket. He bent his head on his knee,
and cut its head from its body, throwing
the head to great distance.
The blood spouted violently out; the
snake compressed It's body still tighter,
and JARVIS, growing black in the face,
thought he should be suf1ocated on the
spot, and laid himself down. The snake
again ratified its tail and dashed his feet
with it. Gradually, however, he found
the animal relax its hold; it soon felt
slack around him, and, untwisting it and
throwing it from him as far as he was
able, he sank down and swooned upon
the bank.
Some of the natives coming by and
seeing the snake--but not noticing its
head being cut off--and Jarvis motion
less. concluded he was killed. However,
they saw at last the condition of the
snake. and that Jarvis was recovering a
little; they unbuttoned his shirt, and, by
friendly aid, in short time he recovered
and returned tothe vessel.
slAn, 80 remarked MacMahon extend