The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-11-21

occasionally the neau ol Inc ooe'-
was in. uisitiyely stretched out toward
me. During this me the smaiie
snakes were all about the room. green
one half hidden in the blottlng oooI
and others hanging from the table ana
chairs, and from Mr.. NJ pocket.
Several months after this adventure,
I happened to be at rather smart
wedding, and meeting LORD arthur
Russell (who / knew was lover OF
snakesl, narrated the circumstances
to him, and was rather taken aback by
his proposal that we should 60 away,
there and then, in a hanson cab to
Chelsea. Surely" l exclaimed, you
don't propose to leave this goodly COM
pany" (Mr. Gladstone was there,
among MANY other celebrltles) "anu
this goodly cheer, to see the snakes
".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 fortunately found the snake-charm-
ers at home, and saw much the same
scene that | have already described.
ord Arthur was more yenturesome
than | was, and got one of the smaller
rantiles nm his sleeve. and MIR. NJ. had
n come Ia the rescue. and draw it forth
through his shirt-cuff, We were shown
a very perfect skin, apparently about
told nc the boa had cast while in bed
with him one cold night. de felt tine
poor thing fretting about, ana kept
telling it to be quiet, but 1t would per,
sist in squeezing his legs and feet, anu
in the morning he found that IL nao
shed its skin,
Mr.. and Mrs. NJ. informed us that
once, when they were away lot TWO
months, they left the two big snakes III
charge OF keeper at the zoo. on tnei, !,
; 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 recog-
, nized Mrs. Ms voice. and sprang at
' her with su h vehement affe ton as
, nearly to upset her, coiling itself close
" round her until they reached home
in cab. Our hosts also informed us
( that one summer evening. when the
| family (including all the snakes) were
having tea in the garden. Cleopatra
kept swinging from tree by its tail,
i and Mr.. NJ, thinking it good oppor-
, tunity to gauge the strength of the boa,
!. MIA ed himself under the tree, and al
p lowed the snake to coil itself round his
[ waist. He then found that he could lift
: his feet from the ground. We were al
; so informed that if the big snakes once
1 made pets of live animals given fol
s food-which they were apt to do wnen
: not hungry-they would never eat them
4 Int would wait until fresh beasts OF
!. birds were provided
must now narrate, in his own Ian
guage, an incident about these snakes
: written out for me by an Italian friend
5 who saws: ..Ec o il "a conto del anne
e doto del serpenti; but please correct thu
e English and clean it up. can not dc
/ better in your language, SO much IL
d a hurry as YOU are for it. Mr. M. wa.
s q composer of music; he was very font
o of serpents or snakes, and he made
d very particular study in the natura
v history about such kind of fearful rep
i tiles. He very often spoke to me, de
sirous to show me these animals, viii
s he nursed with care, and brooded tn
i. ecgs TO generate the little ones.
a Eat the back of his apartment Their
n was small garden, and next kind
e. orchard court, where merchant Q
Is chickens and fowls had q nursery
re these domestic animals, which he KEEP
of for trade. At that time Mr. M. had il
ut his bedroom two enormous boa con
ly strictors, which slept with him
ID two little babies. as Mr.. M. was conn
r dent that no treason or mischief coui
id come II m them, so beloved and we
bit trained by him. So he took his slee
it confidently every night. But the viii
ed ibrid animals, with natural bad IN
IN stinct for fapine and murder, woul
&c smell often their prey. the poor inne
is cent chickens, and when MIR. M. peace
ut fully slept, the horrid reptiles ooze
from the bed. and silently creeped
X the gardens where the chickens were
he killing and eating often of them. Luz
nd ing this assault the chickens begun
re crock, and some time the proprietG
We was awaked and visited the garden
/ and when he discovered chicken d,
IS ing and others destroyed. he began Il
u. to watch during many nights, till wh'
ad was the horror and fright of the mast'
lat whd1 ut the feeble light of the brea
nd Of the day, he discovered q stermina
he serpent with large chicken strange
nut in its coils! At sudden he gave Il
he alarm and called the police; all Il
m. neighbors' houses were also frightene
at last he discovers that MIR. M. ",
ne the keeper of such extraordinary nuts
py BILE things, and went to the court. whe
Ell the magistrate summoned Mr.. NJ; bu
,ar strange to say. there was not slig
he intention found on the part of the u
my CONSCIOUS Mr.. NJ. to give harm to an
lge body, and he was not at all punish'
"a, for It, but only warned to take mea
to ures as to assure that the two serpen
rk- would have not in the future to maj
ng so romantic assays in like excursion
in nightly to the mild and useful race
lo- bipeds SO good for human food"
my Some years later. while Twas abroa
I noticed in the English newspaper |
The account OF Chancery suit affectiI
ew my friends and their beloved snake
Dor and on my return. finding that tn
ith we likely to be turned out of the
ng house, owing to stray snake havil
ON frightened q neighoor's servant into
70. Al = J