Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-10-27

We hadn't u iircarm, harpoon, or any
other trustworthy weapon among us, and
MS for trusting ourselves on deck with
iron bolts, Delaying pins, or weapons oil
that sort, was matter not to be thought
of. After we had counted noses, we
found that the Captain, two mates, cook,
steward, and two foremost hands must
be aft. The ship had few muskct;
and cutlasses, and the officers had re-
volvcrs. If the scrpents were to be
driven off the first move must be made
by the officers. We took turns going
up the ladder to get q view of the deck,
and the sight was one to affect every
man. There were serpents from three
to twenty feet long, racing about the
deck, and there was one with q body
fully as large as common nail kcg.
None of them was still for a moment,
and the noise of their movements was
plainly heard in the forecastlc.
at was fully an hour before the men
aft made move, and then VIC heard the
report of firearms. This was followed,
as the man on the ladder reported, by
the discharge of half dozen skyrockets,
which had been aimed to fly along the
decks. Soon after that we heard men
astr on the decks, and we opened the
scuttlc and rushed up. The serpents had
apparently disappeared, being frightened
by the noise and flames, and as we
looked over the starboard side We saw @
score of them making off. The monster
of whom l told you had been hit by
bullet from the captains revolver, and
he was swimming about in circle, head
held four or five feet from the surface,
and making a terrible splashing. He
did not seek to come aboard, nor did he
swim away. We had watched him fol
three or four minutes, when q shark
dashed in upon him and seized him
about midway of his length. The row
which followed was the widest thing
YOU ever saw. The snake twisted HIM.
self about the shark, and struck at him
again and again, and the water was
churncd up until the foam sometimes hid
both from our sight. We were still
looking after them when shout
from ono of the men
drew our attention inboard. He
had discovered q snake ten feet
long curlcd away in one of the small
boats. The officers began firing at him,
and he ran the whole length of the ship
and took to tho water at her bows. We
then began hunt for Others. There
was chap four feet long in coil Of
rope amidships, second on the cable
chains, and a third on the roof Of the
cooks galley. They were spiteful crca-
lures, and were not despatched without
danger.
"When we had carefully examined the
decks we supposed that we were clear ol
our unwclcomc visitors, but in few
minutes serpent fully ten feet long was
discovered on the main yard. Asa mat
ter of fact seven Of the reptiles had gone
aloft, and we did not succeed in hunting
out the last one until the next day, by
which time the smoke began to lift, the
fires on Baly to die out, and VIC got puff
of wind to carry us through the passage.
"Our experience was identical with
that of an American ship lying in the
east end of the passage. She was
boarded by legion of serpents, and was
driving the last one overheard when we
hailed her. She had one man bitten
when they first came aboard, and he
died in less than three hours, swelling up
to great size, and suffering the most ter
riblc agonics. These incidents were
published in and discussed by many
English newspapers, and perhaps by
American papers as well, and l never
heard the fact disputed. Why is it,
then, that the person seeing q sea SER
pcnt, or q serpent at sea, in these days,
is held up to the world rs fool or a
liarl If scrpcnts did not pass from island
to island in the tropics, some would be
ovcrrun and others entirely clear Of them.
That this is not the case any sailor will
tell you. have seen, In the Island Of
Java, serpent thrty-four feet long, and
as large around his middle as an average
man. Let that snake be seen at sea,
swimming along with his head well up,
which is the way they carry themselves,
and it would bc novel and startling
sight to people on shipboard. l have
talked with sailors who have seen plenty
Of these serpents off the tropical coasts,
and the facts in the story of my own cx-
pcricncc arc matter of record in Eng
land, having been debated by eminent
naturalists. ."--Ne,o York Sun.