Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-01-27
A Fight With a Boa.

4 journal published in Singapore
gives an account of fight between a
man and python. which would indi-
cate that the Guy Livingstone type of
muscular heroes is not extinct among
Europeans i'm the settlement One day
news was brought To the curator of the
museum that u great python. which was
on exhibition there. had escaped from
is box. and was carcering about the
building. no doubt thoroughly enioying
the light of the attendants and visitors.
The brute was no less than TWENTY-FIVE
feet long. At that moment the curator
happened TO have bottle Of carbolic
acid in his hand. III was most eN-
citing tussle when they came together,
and for a few seconds the shivering
native spectators could not make out
which was snake and which was man. =
The guardian of the museum treasures
had secured a firm grip of the python $
throat, but on the other hand the SER
pent had coiled its crushing folds around
his legs Had il been question Of
strength merely, the boa must have won
the day; the curator would soon have
been only fit To make a stuffed mummy
i'll his own museum. But after Il strug-
gle or two more he managed cleyerly 10
decant the bottle of carbolic acid down
the reptiles throat the grip ON which
he had never relaxed. The boa had
evidently been unaccustomed to drink
nay. it obviously disagreed with him.
The coils loosened from the curator's
limbs. a convulsise shivcr went through
the entire twenty-five feet of snake, and
in Il few minutes the great python was
dead? The boa has not merely ofttimes
been mastered by man, but bv much in
ferior beings. An officer stationed ut
Kalladgee. in India. was once climbing
Il rocky hill, when he and native who
accompanied him witnessed the follow
ing episode: A poor monkey was being
slowly enwrappcd in the voluminous
folds of an enormous boa, its bones
breaking like pine stems by the pressure.
Gradually the reptile unwound itself,
leaving q crushed, unacceptable mass.
The numerous monkeys on the rock
We're in the greatest state of excitement,
running wildly about, gesticulating,
chattering. and moaning, though of
course powerless To help their comrade.
While the snake was commencing its
gorge. and before its body began TO fill
and swell, the officer and native went
in quest Of stout cudgcl and Il sharp
knife, expecting to make it an easy prey
as soon rs it should be filed to reple-
ton. When they returned to the scene
of strife, the boa lay thoroughly gorged,
beneath projecting mass of cliff, look
ing more-like Il log than anything more
lively On the summit above troop of
monkeys were assembled, and three or
four of the largest and strongest were
occupied in displacing massive frag-
ment of rock, already loosened by the
rains from the main ledge. By enor-
nous exertion made, too, with a ST.
lence quite unusual to monkeys they at
lcngth succeeded in pushing the rock
until it trembled just over the boa's
head; then, uttering yell of triumph,
they dropped it over the miniature prec-
ipice. 1t struck the boa on the head,
MASKING it to jelly. As its great tail
lashed about Intellectually IN its last
struggle, there was a general chorus of
eNultation man joining his near rela-
tive, if we believe some of our instrtlc-
tors over this well-accomplished act of
revenge.