The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-10-09

iltry OF his race had been concentratino
in that formerly amicable reptiles be.
ing. He was only biding his time, and
his time came last Thursday night.
G. W. Donaldson, who is another
dealer in snake flesh and blood and
who takes it and exhibits it heartlessly
at country fairs, had been dickerine
with Mr.. Burns, and finally a bargain
was struck The formerly excellent
but now wholly abandoned anaconda
was knocked down to MI. Donaldson
for the sum of five hundred dollars, in
hand paid, and was to be de-
ivered to the purchaser at Mans
field, o., some time this week. Mr..
Burns decided to make the shipment
on Friday; so on the evening of the
day before he moved the box contain
ing the anaconda from an inner room
into the outer DON of his store. 1t was
his intention to transfer the snake into
another box for shipment the first thing
this morning. In his haste to leave on
Thursday evening, however, he did not
observe the fatal fact hat the cover to
the box containing the stranger from
Brazil was loose.
The door of the store was locked at
last, and the steps of the proprietor
were heard growing fainter and faint
or down the street. The room grew
darker and darker. The canaries in
the numerous cages on the shelves
huddled close together and tucked
their heads under their wings; the two
armadillos stretched themselves out
comfortably on their backs to sleep;
three brown Russian bear cubs, only
landed the week before from Arch
angel, curled themselves up together,
granting and moaning at their fate;
the big monkey in the cage on the
floor, and the three little monkeys in
the cages on the shelves, ceased their
%clatter and scratched absently for feas
in their sleep; even the ~paroquets and
macaws gave vent to their spite only
in occasional hoarse croaks. The re-
pose of the night had fully fallen upon
Mr.. Donald Burns happy family.
The time of the anaconda had come,
There was a faint sound from the loose
board on the top of the box. Then all
was still for a time. The sound was
heard again, and slowly the board
lifted from its place. Then appeared
a horrible white snout with distended
nostrils, then came a mottled wedge
shaped head, in which two cleaning,
devilish eyes reflected the light from
the street gas-lamp which streamed in
at the window. Slowly, silently, fold
after fold of the monster poured out
upon the floor. The loose board of the
box fell back and the anaconda was
loose with murder in his heart. He
slipped noiselessly about for a moment,
raising his head high in the air and
glancing about to see where he should
strike first. The bear cubs muttered
uneasily in their sleep, and the big
monkey, awake now, stood with all its
soul in its ears. Suddenly it uttered
a fearful shrek. 1t had caught full
view in the gas-light of the bead of its
deadly enemy waving ominously to
and fro in the air. The monkeys
frenzied shrek Of fright reused the en-
tire household in an instant. The
macaws and %paroquets stormed and
swore their most sulphurous Spanish
oaths, the bears growled and whined
and scraped aimlessly in the air. and
canaries tluttered and chirped in their
terror, and above all rose the piteous
screams for help from the monkeys.
The terrible scene which occurred
during the dead hours of that awful
night will never be recorded. The
passers-by in the street in the early
morning knew that there was a TRACE
dy, and gathered c%uriously about on
the sidewalk listening to the uproar.
When Mr.. Burns came at last and
| opened the door, there, in the middle
of the room, partly coiled up, but with
head five feet IN the air, was the ana
conda, now grown furious with hate
and with the uproar about him. Quick
as a flash Mr.. Burns grabbed a large
strip of canvas that fortunately was at
hand, and into this the fierce reptile
plunged his head. Then there caIne a
furious struggle, Mr.. Burns cropping
for the anaconda's neck, and the ana
conda vainly trying to get Mr. Burns
into its deadly coil. But it was not a
long struggle. With a firm grip on
the big snakes throat, Mr.. Burns soon
had him subdued and fast secured in
his box. ..rt ..
Then he looked about at the havoc.
One of the cub bears lay crushed and
deadina corner. In another cornerlay
the remains of a deceased armadillo,
and the monkeys were in such an ague
offright that they are liable to die from
it before consumption gets a chance at
them. The paroqucts and macaws
were busy all day long telling every
body who came in about the horrible
nights adventure, and swearing fright
full Spanish oaths as they told it, and
the poor canaries will not get over their
fright for a month. The anaconda was
put into another box and packed oft at
uuHnla ,,b,ro Mr. Donald