Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-05-14
THE HOME OF BIG SNAKES.
EPISODES IN AN ARTISTS VISIT
TO zULULAND.
The Boa Constructor and the APES
killing the Big Snake-The
Monkeys Picnic.


ture' in South Africa, published in the
San Francisco E.r0mjner This is a place
for serpents aud a l kinds OF snakes. Here
in the cool nights the little green
monkeys take shelter in the thick foliage
OF the tropical vegetation, locked in each
others arms Ike brothers and sisters.
But how often is their sic ap disturbed by
II sudden clasp in the jaws of boa con
stricter or black m@mbra, who noise
les'ly creep upon their innocent victims
along the branches and seize them before
they have time to awaken. Owing to the
deadly ma ,arial effects of these "dongas"
or hollows, the natives in their hunting
excursions give them wide berth.
Speaking of monkeys brings to mind
n very humorous incident. One day, be
ing on the edge of the berg, sketching II
grand view Of the mountain, looking
along the edge my attention was attracted
toward number of balloons that were
frisking about among the rocks. As tle
animals are very shy, | remained per
fectly quie. and went on with my paint
ing, but hoping that they might come
nearer. Being thus engaged, partly with
the landscape and partly with the
balloons, what should see in the long
grass but an immense boa-constr.c.or. He
seemed mt least twenty feet long and one
foot in diameter. He was crawling along
toward the balloons, and watched the
result with intense interest. No sooner
did his suakeship show his heal above
the long grass than the animals scam
pered off in a second. Talk about the
agility of prairie dogs and ground sQuir-
rels! No one would imagine that these
fellows, big and clumsy as they seemed,
could disperse so quickly. The serpent
seemed just as quick, for with a few
springs on his tail he seemed to be among
them, but he did not succeed in captur-
ing any of them. Snatching up my
shot gun, ! was determined to have that
serpent's skin. went up to the place
where he disappeared behind the rocks
There he was, about hundred yards
away crawling lowly along the edge of
the preCipce. was gaining steadily on
him, but did not like to run for fear of
alarming him starting him into a run,
as it were, either from M or toward me.
| wanted to maxi sure of him without
giving him chance, if | colld help it.
| was always a coward when fighting
rattle-snakes in Mendocino County; but
this whOpper, twenty feet long, made me
quake in my boots worse than if there
were fifty snakes hidden there.
After following him some time be
stopped crawling; he raised his body on
a rock, and, turning his face toward me,
saw me. was within range of him with
heavy shot Bang bang went both bar
rels. The stock of my gun Kicked me
affectionateIy, and, when the smoke
cleared away the serpent was not in
sight Reloading my piece, | advanced
cautiously, with my finger on the trigger
all the while When | got to the spot
there lay my victim, twisting and tying
himself up in a knot and u1raveliug it
again with lightning like rapidity. Then
he stretched himself out at his full length,
and. raising himself upon his tail,
bounded into the air several times, max
ing circle Of sixteen or eighteen feet
at every jump, till at la t, with a mighty
effort, he bounded again, and fell to the
earth with crash He was dead. past
all danger to man or be lst He weighed
at least 100 pounds Ny next anxiety
was as to how I could get that beuti-
fully colored skin He was on the very
edge of the preaipice. A final spasm OF
the lingering life that clings so teOa-
ciously to the snake tribe might destroy
my hopes. | could only sit and wait.
1t was fully an hour before | had the
courage to commence the skinuing. and
after considerable labor I succeeded.
When he was skinned he looked so white
and clean that person could be tempted
to eat him. There were no kaifirs
around or they would make short work
of him. They will not kill snake OF
serpent if they can avoid it, They have
kind of super>titiouS reverence fol
them, especially for the larger kind. But
when a white man kills one they readily
eat it all except the head, which they
believe to be poisonous.
When I GOT back to my easel chail
and umbrella, | was nearly dumb Bounded
at seeing the same tribe of balloons play
ing high iinks with my painting mater
ials Two little fellows were M among
the ribs of the umbrella, and another
had his had out through a rent in the
top. He looked Ike u little sweep with
his head through the chimney on frosty
morning. 1t was one of the most comiCal
things in the monkey line | ever wit
messed One big baboon was exploring
with allhis m ght the contents of box
of fake white, while another was duub-
ing The muzzIe of little baby that was
sitting on its mothers back, she herself
being engaged in breaking the handles
and pulling out the hairs of my brushes.
Inever, in any monkey cage or menage lie,
saw - maHy different colored monkeys.
One big fellow, half red. half blue, with
a great white patch over his left eye, was
pulling the canvas now twisted into a
rope) from big old woman, with two
sQualliEg baby monkeys with white muz-
zles and pink hair. Half dozen Others
were fighting for the easel Ike sailors
playing the "tug Of war" The whole
business was too much for me- So, lay
ing down my serpent'S skin, Iorened fire
on them. Then came the humorous part
of the whole scene Talk Of scamper.
ing. The family opened out, running tc
all points Of the compass. Balloons in
green, yellow, pink, purple sc'rlet,
white with black spots, and black with
yellow and every color spots Such E
variety of uniforms you never saw, Bic
fellows, four feet high; little fellows,
crying and squalling for their mothers
mothers looking and crying for theil
babies. had to stand and laugh till
my sides were sore.
The excitement over, | went up tC
clear the wreck. The umbrella was
broken and torn past all repairs; color'
were smeared unon everything; oil cans
bitten and iudented canvas, brushes
everything utterly ruined If you car
;,,,n rrinn thn mud iridnd nftnntinn Of .