The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1884-07-26
Sllke SeoF)ee,

4 writer, Who spent many years tray.
cling in Africa, relates somaof his ex-
perlences and observationi in q work
published at the time ofIhis visit in
that country.
Being upon . militar, expedition
across the frontier" said be, II had
slept one night, as usual, whpt in my
cloak, beneath tree. On awakening at
daybreak, the first object | perceived
on raising my head from ihe saddle,
winch served for my pilbw, was the
tail OF an enormous PuT-Adder living
across my breast, the head II the rep
tile being mut1led under til folds Of the
cloak close to my body, whittier it had
betaken itself for warmth Iduring the
cnllllness of the night, There was ex-
IRENE hazard that if I alanned it by
moving it might bite me in vital part:
-seizlng it therefore softly by the tail,
pulled It out with sudden jerk, and
threw 1t violently at distance By this
means l escaped without Injury; but
had happened to have unvittingly Of
tended this uninviting bedfdllow before
was aware of his presence, might in
all probability have fatally atoned for
my heedlessness."
! 1t is not very unusual for snakes of
various sorts to be found in the houses
at the Cape. nor does it, in ordinary
cases, excite any violent alarm when
such inmates are discovered. They
make their way both through the roofs
and under the walls, in search of food
and shelter, and especially in pursuit of
nice, which many of them chiefly sub
slst upon. During my residence in the
interior, however, / 1ccollect only two
instances of their being found in the
cabin. On one of these oceasionsI had
sent servant girl Ga bare legged Hot
tentot) to bring me some article IRON
neighboring hut It was after night
fall; and on returning with It. she cried
out before entering the cabin-"0h.
Mynheer! M!yn!ieer! what shall I do?
A snake has twined itself around my
ankles, and if I open the door he will
come into the house" "Never mind"
! replied, "open the door, and let him
come if he dare" She oieyed and in
glided the snake, luckily without hav-
ing harmed the poor girl. I stood pre-
pared and instantly smote him dead;
and afterwards found him to be one of
the venemous sort called ,-Nachtslang.
People get used to thesa things. and
even Europeans by degrees: cone to re-
gard them with much indifference.
just before leaving the colony. spent
. week or two with friend, at his resi-
dence near Graham's Town; and going
one day to take book from some
shelves in the drawing room, found a
beautiful yellow snake, about five feet
long, lying asleep upon the uppermost
range of books. It lay so still that at
first thought it was stuffed specimen;
but perceiving a slight movement in its
tail, l lent him such q thwack with a
quarto volume as broke the poor fel-
lows back. and enabled me to demolish
him at my leisure. afterwards learned
that another snake had been killed O few
days previously in the very same spot,
and third in the Majors dressing
room. They had all entered through q
loop-hole which had casually been left
open, and apparently had no other OBJ
lect III coming there (mousing apart)
than literary seclusion.