The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-12-13
SQUEEZE FROM A BOA.

Inthe Summer of 1880 got a nasty squeeze
from big python in the Jardin Zoologioue
At Antwerp, which laid me up for several
lays. had observed this snake a female,
about II feet long, in one of the dens, and
from the white effiorescence about her lips
knew that she was suffering from carries OF
the jaw with liberation of the mucous mem.
brane, so fatal to snakes in confinement
and having pointed this out to NJ. vekeman,
The resident Director, Tobtained his permits
sion to make trial Of en- ointment which
believed had found efficacious in the early
stage Of the disease among my own snakes.
Nov, as III luck would have it, the regular
keeper was absent on this particular morn
ing, and his place was Allied for the time by
another from some other part Of the gardens,
who spoke nothing but Flemish, of which
tongue am as profoundly ignorant as he
most certainly was of the creatures under
his temporary charge. went into the den
with him, taking it for granted, of course
that he was accustomed to snakes, and gave
him the box OF ointment to hold until I was
ready to use it. When had brought the
pythoness fairly down to the floor, eripped
her hard by the neck, which had the effect
as intended II to have, and as it always has
with snakes, of making her open her mouth
pressed her head away from me at the
me time to prevent her catching hold of
tlly part of my clothing in her efforts to
bite. In her fright and rage she drew her
bodv mn acroco INV aotr a,,d t,..;ato1 l. a.. ..:l
round and round my other arm. All that 1
now required of the keeper was, by teasing
or pinching her here and there, or by un-
winding the tail when necessary, to cause
her to shift her coils constantly and prevent
her resting long enough on one spot to APP
ply undue pressure. My face could pro-
tect for myself with the left hand This l
concluded he understood, as a matter of
course. turned round to make sign to
him to be ready and to give me the ONT
ment, when, judge of my dismay as caught
sight of his stoid face, with a sort of dull
impartial interest on it, looking at me
through the glass in front, and the door
closed on the outside He had got fright
ened by the noise of the other pythons, and
had quietly gone out again. was about to
make an impatient gesture, when In that
same instant the serpent frightened on me so
suddenly and violently that momentarily
lost consciousness then found myself
staggering abous the den, fighting for life.
lexpected to feel my ribs give way every
moment, yet my chief fear at the time was
Of falling through the glass pushed the
reptiles head away from me with all my
might, lest it should crcss my breast, and
can remember catching sight of myself,
mulberry oolored figure, in the mirror.
knew, toe, that was trampling about over
the other pythons, who, furious at the dis
turbance, were now darting about the den
above and all around me in every direction
and exerted every energy to keep my feet,
for had presence OF mind enough left to
know that if went down 1t would be all
over with me. The heat was sitting
could bear II no longer; the cage spun mad
" round and round before my eyes, and
everything seemed to fame and roar. lot
90 the head. The snake twisted sharply
back over my right shoulder close to my
face, but did not bite me, and slid of on 10
the ground. i just recollect falling against
the door with outstretohed hands, bnt moth
ing moro until found myself sitting on the
steps outside, coughing violently, while the
phlegmatic keeper was putting hot key
Town my back, for some occult reason.
brought up little blood and drank a little
brandy, after which soon got better; but
was not well enough to walk home, and the
bruise in my side did not fade for many
day. Isuppose the whole affair did not last
moro than few seconds, but found it
quite long enough. Fortunately. the snake
lad only small part of her body across m,
left side and back had she encircled mt
with whole coil should have been crush
ed like an egg-shell - Chambers Journal