The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1882-07-20

Ill LiSplHt Lis uduuS' lW6Tt III ftl6 DoA,
and no less than twenty of these deadly
animals were dancing around him to
the music of their rattles. The mount
aineer was pale as asheet, and trembled
as with the ague. Back went the snakes
into the box. Turning to the mount
aineer, Reynolds exclaimed: What
the matter; are We coldp' His voice
broke the spell; the mountaineer gave
one look, and then made for the door.
He never came for pay for those snakes"
Among the visitors to see the enor-
nous 3OO-pound python on exhibition
there was a native of Central America.
He told the attendant at the door that a
long residence in warm climate had
made him perfectly familiar with rep
tiles and their habits. He acknowl-
edged that the python in the museum
was wonderful serpent, but he said
he had seen many such in Guatemala.
A representative of the Star, who hap
| pened to come along just then and
overheard the Central Americans re-
marks, asked him to relate some of his
experiences with snakes. The man was
veteran of sixty-five or seventy years.
| His face was bronzed, and his hair,
which he wore long, was as straight as
| that of an Indian. He was full six feet
| tall, and the lanRness of his figure gave
him a singular appearance. He told
the reporter that his name was Senior
Jose Dece, that he was born in Mexico,
and left that country for Central Amer
lea when q young man. The Senior
was well educated, and is able to speak
in the English language with the same
fluency that he does in his native
tongue. He said:
az have eamped in swamps and
thickets, and slept with pythons and
anacondas crawling all about me. ]
never thought of being afraid of them.
The stories told in books of immense
snakes attacking large animals and
men, coiling about them and crushing
and swallowing their prey, are for the
most part exaggerations. 1t is true
that small animals are often killed and
swallowed whole by anacondas and
! boa-constrictorS: but it is safe to say
that no full-grown man was ever made
a meal of by a serpent. y .-.eu1.
! "Were you ever attacked by SER
pent2" the reporter asked. uss..rs.l-
9" / never had one tackle. me, but a
! sailor with whom I was acquainted had
Ia pretty severe experience. He was
walking in thicket on one moonlight
! night, twenty-five or, thirty years ago,
I when he suddenly found himself encir-
cled with the folds of o tremendous
snake. l suppose he would have drawn
a knife from his pocket and cut the
! reptile in Two, but unfortunately for
him he did not happen to have any cut
! ting instrument with him at the time.
! So all that was left for him to, do was
to struggle and free himself the best
way he could. He made desperate
effort and loosened himself from what
was very close embrace Once free.
he procured stick and pounded the
anaconda upon its head until it was
dead, There is certain spot at the
base of snakes head which, if struck
even slight blow, win cause death. -
9 Is an anaconda good for human
foodP"
/ CHOW, that is question which is very
! hard to answer. 1t may be wholesome,
! but | think it would be pretty tough
/ eating for any human being who has an
ordinary set of teeth and the average
! digestion. think / would prefer good
beefSteak or a tenderloin if | wanted a
good square meal
g Is any kind Of snake suitable for
! foodo"
! 90, yes; rattlesnakes are delicious
/ and wholesome. have been in cOun-
! tries where they formed large share
/ of the regular diet of the inhabitants.'
"To what countries do you referP"
"Well, sir, the people of Brazil and
/ Chill eat rattlesnakes; but you need not
| 90 so far away from New York TO find
serpent-eaters The folks down In the
! northern part of the State of Pennsyl-
! yania eat rattlesnakes. The serpents
in that State are particularly plump,
aud exceedingly inviting to the palate
OF al epicure. According to the ortho-
doX method, the RATHER is skinned and
cut up into pieces about an inch or an
inch and a half long, and then fried the
same as you would cook an eel. have
| eaten rattlers lots of times. They taste
! something like eels, only great deal
sweeter prefer rattlesnakes to frogs
any day in the week. Frogs are in
sipid. " 49,
Did you ever see pyramid OF
snakes?" -. -t s.".~-st
If you mean one of those conical
piles of reptiles, such as Livingston saw
in Africa, | will tell you that I never
saw a pyramid; but have seen a heap
or big knots of serpents all twisted and
entertained in q wriggling. squirming,
Shiny, kissing bunch. l was exploring
& cave in South America q few years
ago, when came to passage that was
so low and narrow that / was compelled
| to get down and crawl upon my hands
and knees. had to hold my torch in
my teeth, and, as could not manage
it very wen, my light was extinguished,
and my only alternative was 70 grope
along in darkness. Suddenly / fell
something cold and Shiny against my
hands. knew from the feeling that
had touched snake. Then l blindly
put my hands forward aud thrust them
/ into a nest of serpents. You can be.
heye that I got out of that place a:
speedily as possible. " z. Star.