The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-11-10
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SNAKE AND STAG.


Adventures in india.
Mr.. Barras, in one ot his tigcr-shoot-
ing expeditions in India, had singu-
lar adventure with a serpent which
some of his men found in the act of
swallowing Il stag. Tho front part of
the reptile was tremendously distend-
ed, so that it looked exactly like q
small beer-barrel with "a long tail On
a nearer inspection its head could be
seen projecting from the thick end,
with the hind feet of the deer sticking
out of one corner of its mouth.
We could not shoot the monster
for fear of disturbing the tiger
of which we were in pursuit We,
therefore, commanded one of the ma
tives to go and cut of its head. But
none Of them seemed inclined to obey.
The more we reiterated our orders,
the more seriously they wagged their
turbaned heads, and the more they
seemed glued 10 their respective ele-
phants
At last the veteran Seesoo raised his
voice and thus expressed the sense of
the company:
80 my lords. am indeed the slave
of your highncssess and were the
creature before us only a tiger, bear,
or indeed any four-footed beast, L
would at once advance to the combat;
but this is an awful brute. and the
most balcful Of all the Inhabitants of
the jungle. II any one goes within
reach of his tail, he will be killed to u
certainty"
In short, our native assistants meant
TO keep clear of the huge reptile,
which they probably mistook for a god
or a devil, on no account TO be inter-
fered with. SO, as my friend assured
me that these snakes were not danger
Gus, | descended from my elephant,
and proceeded against it with a heavy
hunting-knfe.
| confess to some misgivings whether
his or the natives estimate of the
beasts character might prove correct.
What more likely than that it should
be able to throw n fold of its body
round any one approaching within
range? for behind the inflated portion
containing the deer there must have
been about thirteen feet of the serpent
in its normal state.
However, ] advanced, knife in hand,
on line leading straight to the head
of the reptile, aad watched narrowly
for any sign of its moving; but it re-
mained motionless as Kstood over it
and looked upon its weird coun-
tenance, capable of but one fixed ex-
preston.
All its life seemed concentrated in
the bright yellow eyes that returned
my gaze with IL glittering stare. 1
raised the knife, and brought it down
with all my might on its neck, think
ing to cut lis head Off But the bones
were solid, and nothing but
horrible cash was the result. Even
at this not muscle stirred, and
the eyes glittered and looked piercing
As before. ! was now advised to dis
patch him by severing the spine just
behind the great enlargement caused
by the body of the stag. But the snake
instantly hished out so vigorously that
| thought it prudent to return TO the
head, and with few more blows 1
killed it. Its lcngth was just seven
teen feet
The stag, on being taken out looked
as if it had been neatly trussed for the
table. 1t was about the size of an or
dinary sheep, and its head, neck and
limbs were packed into a sort OF
square, but none of the bones were
broken, nor were there any signs of ex-
ternal damage The poor thing was
quite dead and we abandoned the two
bodies to the vultures and jackals.-
Youth'S Communion.