Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-22
DOMESTIC SNAKES.
A TIsIF WHICH BROUGHT LAST.
ING MEMORIES.
Boa Constructors and Pythons as
Parlor Guests-Medical Uses
Of SnakeS-Etc.

Boa Constructors and Pythons as
Parlor Guests-Medical Uses
Of Snakes-Etc.
On dull afternoon during the Easter
recess Of 1872, | went out for holiday
stroll toward the river at Chelsea, and on
finding myself near to that Dutch-looking
quarter, Cheyne Walk, l determined to
discover the abode of an old friend, who ]
had reason to know lodged in the locality.
As | knew he was an inveterate smoker, /
inquired about him at tobacconist's, who
told me that he had apartments in one of
the quaint old houses with ornamental
iron gates. On passing through the gate
and ringing the bell, the door was opened
by an individual in shirt-sleeves, who in
formed me that my friend was away. At
tracted by the gentlemanly bearing of the
coatless individual, whom | had at first
taken for a carpenter, | remained talking
to him about the quaintness of the old hall
and its paintings. | am sure we both felt
that there was something sympathetic in
our natures-perhaps this consisted in Il
touch of esthetic Bohemianism-at all
events, he pressed me to stay and smoke
with him.
We sat in the front parlor, and chatted
pleasantly over log fire which was burn
ing in fireplace from which the CRATE
had been removed. OF course we soon dis
oo,,o,ol ,l,+ 49,, l>,J ,rlo.,
did | ever go, or whom did | ever meet,
without making this discovery? After a
time, began to look round the room no
carpet, an old table, a dilapidated sofa, and
few chairs-an impression of curious I'M
tidiness was left on my mind.
While looking at some small pictures
hanging crooked on the wall | noticed,
what struck me as being very odd, red
blanket protruding from hole in the
wainscoting near the mantel-piece. In re-
ply to my inquiry as to what this meant,
my host said: ooh that iswhere we keep
our snakes; are you afraid Of snakes ?'
Before | could stammer out a reply, and
while | was trying to steady my nerves, he
trust in his arm and pulled out with the
blanket lot of serpents, which tumbled
on to the ground and the table Another
dive brought. out the rest of the blanket,
and with it two large snakes, which he in
formed me were special favorites-a python
and boa constructor These at once coiled
themselves all round my hosts body, in
and out Of his arms, and about his neck.
Dazed with establishment and shaking
with fear, | tried to retreat, but he as
sured me, in winning accents and soft
words, that the dear things" were quite
tame; and for some minutes we stood, |
close to the window-which l thought
might afford means of escape-and he
between me and the door. Suddenly my
eccentric host who had very large excited
down his wife, and shoveling off the two
monsters on the floor (Which he did not do
without some difficulty, he darted from
the room, closing the door behind him.
X x X x x
l leave you, kind readers, to imagine my
feelings l experienced creepy sensa-
ton in my hair, and strange feelings of
fascination, faintness and fear stole over
me, as | stood rooted to the floor, afraid
even to look round at my possible window
escape. The two huge monsters crawled
stealthily up the sofa, and kept stretching
out their necks to gaze at me, their forked
tongues jerking in and out, and their eyes
staring with what seemed to me a devilish
inquisitiveness. Dantes Inferno the Lao
coon group, and other horrors filled nv
brain.
The silence was disturbed only by the
beating of my poor heart, and / knew not
how long it was before the door opened,
and my host reappeared with pretty lit
tie lady, who, after smiling courtesy to
me, lifted the snakes from the sofa, or,
rather, leaning towards them, allowed
them to entwine themselves quickly around
her comedy figure Although still fright
ened, began to heave signs of relief, and
l could not help being impressed by the
picturequeness of the scene. The lady's
black velvet bodice showed off to great
advantage the large snake-coiIs, with their
curious markings, and her rich brown hair
was soon charm;ngly ruifled by the caresses
Of the snakes as they polIed their noses
through IT, IN 4 few minutes two little
girls appeared, and, tripping up TO their
mother, began playing with the snakes,
calling the boa Cleopatra, DEAR" and
actually kissing its nose, until the snake
tried impatiently to withdraw It's neck
from their fond little hands.
Mrs NJ, who seemed overweighted with
the two snakes, asked her husband to re-
lieve her Of the python, and she then pro-
posed that we should have some coffee
which was brought in by the little girls.
BY this time / had reeained my self-pos-
session, and watched her with the keen in
terest of an artist as she poured out the
coffee and tapped occasionally the head of
the boa, which was inquisitivelv stretched
out toward me- During this time the
smaller snakes were all about the room,
green one half hidden in the blotting book
and others hanging from the table and
chairs, and Mr. NJ s pocket
Several months after this adventure ]
happened to be at a rather smart wedding,
and meeting Lord Arthur Russell (who !
knew was lover of snakes, narrated the
circumstances to him. and was rather taken
away, there and then, in Il hanson cab to
Chelsea. Surely" l exclaimed, "you
don't propose to leave this goodly COM
pany Mr.. Gladstone was there, among
many other celebrities), and this goodly
cheer, to see the snakes?"
g The guests are met the sun is set
Mays't hear the merry din
But he was evidently determined So off
we drove to Cheyne Walk, where we for
tunately found the snake-charmers at
home, and saw much the same scene that |
have already described Lord Arthur was
more venturesome than / was, and got one
Of the smaller reptiles up his sleeve, and
Mr.. VI. had TO come to the rescue, and
draw it forth through his sh;rt-auff. We
were shown very perfect skin, apparently
about three yards long, which Mr.. N.
coolly told us the boa had cast while in
bed with him one cold night He felt
:" the poor thing fretting about" and kept
telling it to be quiet, but it would persist
in squeezing his legs and feet, and in the
morning he found that it had shed its
skin
Mr.. and Mrs. W. informed us that once,
when they were away for two months, they
left the two big snakes in charge OF Il
keeper at the Zoo. On their return the
keeper said that If they had delayed much
longer the boa might have died, as it was
refusing food and when he produced the
snake it recognized Mrs. Ms voice, and
sprang at her with such vehement affection
as nearly to upset her, coiling itself closely
around her until they reached home in
cab. Our hosts also informed us that one
summers evening, when the family Gin
Guiding all the snakes were having tea in