Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-07-14
4 BIG SNAKE
me blood -Curdlinx ExDsrisacs OF
. Mining ProspeetOr.
- sksa~d t5s az kaerlsssas OVhlsii@sr- fn~
CIssss Cau the aiaar Hal IA tha
Chsrszss Gssslatry >se
- Ee = 1 .sa "a .Ji1ar .I-.aszs-


- rribansf
some half d4zsa utnlog sxpers ~ho
have b~sa pFospsetlas fsr SILVER and goal
ia fhs ChsFosse region - Georgia ana
Alabama have just returned - this city
loa.ied do@a 4lth Eieb spseilaens q ores
and snake stories Ihs ores v9ach Tor
themselves the snake stories d. nos. bat
they are calculated 80 ega Al any thai have
Recently been ia prlnL. Eoilo~iag 10 a AIR
sample, told as hs teiier tells IL.
ne z8es tnat 80 we're Ia a saaks coun-
rry. aad ss had heard from the farmers
and .'ni izzers" 80 maeA a5oag the crit
tsfs" that 80 hadn'l tine - look out lor
~ thlak of aDythiag Else. While tramp
ing over the mountains and through the
~0ods every time twig brok. or
displaced ssons rasslsd the dry leaves
thsrs Was cry Of snake, fol-
iOsst by stampede. Awake, Nc
ilnas sined svery ytnios unusual a ~rith-
ins. curling. slippery reptile: asieel, our
dreams were haanted by the i0athsoIne
creatures. There were uine ia the party,
three be ng laborers whom vs toox along
% 10 our heavy work They slept
small tent near our o~n- Que OF taena
~Colonsl" Gdyton, as En0Ftally afra ii of
kss, the others didn't mind them
much.
Oas "a sht Ne dropped TO sleep early
after a hard days work. The melancholy
wall ol tn wnippoor~i1, the awe-in-
Il spring, hAr-raisius boot OF the owl, the
rasplng rattle OF the katydid, the g!eeiui
/ frog chorus from neig ghborins swamp. all
I echoed and re-e 9ed among the hills un-
heard b. is. W. slept as Oliy tired men
can sleep. had heen selfish enough 70
I spread my blanket AZ the door OF the tent
! where, indeed, 1 Was almost ia the open
air the rays og the half grown moon fall
ia softly on my face through the thick
/ leaves nestlns overhead. A light blanket
vas my only covering.
/ It must have been bedtime for ali ma.
/ ture when 1 awakened There were five
uionotonOus distinct snOres keeping time
/ aud out OF time bchiud ne in the tent, but
there wasn't a sound outside, not a note
from owl or frog. 1 lay Oh my back gaz-
| inz AZ tho moon and the clouds scudding
across her disk. wondering what could
have walked me. felt desire T. stretch,
and IN moying my lett foot be-
came conscious Of a heavy weight resting
| upon it The movement disturbed the OBJ
ject and felt 10 slip over to the left side.
| Tue next instant my blood almost froze in
my veins. NY heart began TO thump like
trip hammer and perspiratiOn trickled
from my forehead. l cOGld feel squirm
ing thug upon the blanket beside my foot,
heard a suooth, gliding, ru bblng sound
aud / knew large snake lay coiled up
there.
Half Wild with fear for a moment, tho
next was perfectly cool and counting the
chances before me. The situation was
desperate one. My frs. impulse was to
rise up suddenly, throw the blanket over
on the serpent aud hold il there, awake
the sleepers, have a light struck and then
fight it out. But there was too much risk.
! The chances were against me IN the dark
and e would be we'll nigh impossible to
secure the snake. Should l fail in the at
tempt it would be miracle for my friends
20 escape its fan :. l might have hit up
on some plan had the reptile remained
quiet. but IL didn't do that. 1t began slow
~ TO uncoi its long body and there came
over me an inexpressible feeling of relief,
for | thought IL was going away. Imagine
{ my horror, then, when instead lt stretched
/ its head toward mine and began crawling
/ up my left s,dei IL laid its head upon my
shoulder and l still felt the weight of its
tail on my foot. IL crawled higher up nd
/ lay stretched straight out on my body.
/ Every minute or sO-sach one seemed an
age-it raised its head from my shoulder
and Ueat the air close to my face, peering.
imagined, hitber and thither as If un-
certain which way tn 20, or else trying to
discover whs- her or not there was a spark
of life left within me- NJ scared heart
bad climbed into my throat, well nigh
choking me. aud my eyes were closed fast
thought that I could feel the serpent's
breath-my own had ceased
NY friends snored on unconscious OF my
, agony. The snake drew up its body and
, coiled up comfortably on my shoulder,
and prepared 20 resign myself to the
torture OF this hideous nightmare. But
suddenly the reptile giided out OF its coils
and squirming over me slid away into the
, darkness / listened 20 its tortuOus pro-
eress through the dead leaves until II
seemed far away and then my courage re-
, turaei and reused the camp With that
selfish fondness which misery has for
company went TO the other tent and, in
T a voice that awaked the echoes through
hlI and wool for miles around, yelled
. make The three men got up without
regard Tor propriety. Colonel" Guyton
rising 50 hastily "a % bring the tent
down on the others. Half dreaming, he
started out through the wool, his white
garments streaming ghost-like in the
: darkness. La a moment vSe heard a pierre
in 3 war ~ hoop, ia the rever berstions ot
which We recognized the 'Colouers
vo CO. Presently ne came dashing back
' tous, pale aud trembling. He had un-
wittinZiv run into a country graveyard
and ths wh q tombstones had put every
thou TIT IT snake cut Of his head. He sal
en the limb Of tree while The rest Of us
with ian ern and torch, searched the sur
roundiszs for the snake But we Devel
fsuud a trace az it. The wood WAS full oi
q aeesveI stumps and &c could easily have
hdIen under one II them. There was n.
more sleep in camp that night and tn
next dav sent to ths ne rest town for
y { hammock