The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-10-27
THE FER-DE- GLANCE.
THE TERRIBLE REPTILE WHICH
RElGNS IN MARTINIQUE.

The Deadly Serpent Which Is Lord OF tho
Forests and S"litudcs by Day. and tho
Terror of Roads and Parks by Night
fh" Cat Its Most Formidable Enemy.
Nature is dangerous here; the powers that
bui!'i here are also the powers that putrefy:
here life and death are pcrpctually inter-
changing office in the never ccasng transfor-
nation of forces, melting down and reslap-
hls living substance simultaneously within
TIL" same awful eruciLle There are trees dis
tlliIns Venom; there arc plants that have
faug.; there are perfumes that affect tho
BRAN; there are cold green crcepcrs whcso
touch CONSUMES flesh like fire; while i'm all
the i"ccSscs and tho shadows is Il swarmins
of uniamillar life beautiful or hiGcous-in.
sect, reptile, rd-intcrwarring devourinr.
observing, proving. Strange spiders Of
b'Irnln, colors, immense lizards, scarbs
r'ilr&a d in nil tints of metal, humming-
birds plunai5ca in all splcn,lor of jewel rali-
"nr", flies that flash like fire, ccntipcdcs of
;,isan,ic growth. And the lord of all these,
the deSpot "t these vast domains, is the ter
ri|," Frl'-'lc- lance, the trigonoccphalus, tho
l'";hr"l's lanccolatus, the craspodccephalus
dc:'lli"st Of Occidental thanatophidia,
There are eight varieties of HIM, the most
c"'nin" being tho gray specklcd with black,
precisely the color that enables the monster
I" hi'ie himself among the roots of the trees
10y simply coilins about them and concealiny
his triangular head. Sometimes le is a beau
'Ilnl flower yellow; then he may never bo
distinguished from the branch of bright ba
n.,,, L..
may hcn dark yellow, or Il yellowish brown
or iil" color of vino lees spccklcd with pink
and black, OF Il perfect ash tint, or black with
yellow belly, or black with u rose belly
nll !'ics of tropical mold, Of old bark, Of
pu'rrlylns trees, of forest dctritus. Tho iris
OF the eye is orange, with red flashes: Mt
hitsiit it glows like incandesccnt charcoal
And the fcr-de-lanco reigns absolute king
"T"r the mountains and tho ravincs; ho is
i"r' of tli" forests and tho solitudcs by dav
!I lay night he extends his dominion over.
lit" public roads, the familiar paths, tho
'"'IiN, the pleasure resorts People must re-
'.ln at home after dark unless they dwell in
"''i itself; if you happen to Lo out visit.
after sunset, only n milo from town, Your
friends viii caution you anxiollsy not to fol
l''"' the boulevard as you 20 back, and to
h"rr rs closely us possible to tho very center
OF tine path. Even i'll the brightest noon YOU
cano; venture to enter the woods unescorted.
You cannot trust your eyes to detect danger;
at any moment Il seeming branch, u knot of
l!aM;'S, II pink or gray root, n culnp of pen
dant yellow fruit, may suddenly take lif,.
"iithe, swell, stretch, spring, strike. Then
you VIII need aid indeed, and most quickly:
for within the space of /. fow heart beats
the STRICKEN flesh chills, tumetics, softens,
changes color spots vlolaceously, and an icy
c"ldn"sS rrnWls through all the blood. If
the physician or tho pallscur arrives in time.
nEtt no artery or vein has keen directly
l!crced, there is hope; but the danger is not
passed when the life has been saved No.
trosis Of the tissues begins; the flesh corlupts
tatt"rs, tIlnblcs from tho bone; and tho
r"lors of It's putrefaction arc frightfu mock.
cries of the hucs Of vegetable, death of forest
decomposition, the CHASTITY pinks and grays
and ycl!ows of rotting trunks and roots melt.
in. back into the tlicl; fctid clay that gave
tlr'u birth. You moldcr as the trees
n,"lder; You crumblc and dissolve as dis
solves the substance Of tho balatas and tho
palms and the acomats: the Death of tho.
Woods has seized upon you
And this pcstienco that waketl i'm dar|,
nc,S, this destruction that vastcth at noon
day, may not be exercised Each female
produces vivipafously from forty to sixty
young at n birth. The haunts of the crca
tur" are in many cases inaccessiblc incxplor-
n,l": It's multiplication is prodi.io,ls; it is
only the surplus Of its swarming that over
p"'irs into the cane fields, and makes tho
high loads pcrlous after sunset yet to des.
troy threo OF four hundred thunatovhidia on
II single small plantation during the lapse of
I've months has not been lnco.nuion Tho
Introduction Of the mangoustc the chneu.
nlnil may, it is hoped do much toward pro-
tcctins tho workers in tho cane fields and on
the cocoon and coffee plantations; but the
'mang"us'e's powers arc limited, and the
ocean Of death is illimitablc
The experience Of fear has enabled do,nes-
tic animals 10 discern the presence Of tho
enemy while invisible to man. Your hors.
rears and plungcs in the darkness, tre,nbes
ami swcats; do not try to ride on until YOU
are assured tho way is clcar-your animal
has perceived far ahead t@,o scintilating
points, two moving sparks of fire Or Your
d"t. may como running, back, whining, sliv-
ering; accept his warning. The animals
KEEP, about country residences have learned
to fight for their lives; the hen battles hope
lcss!y for her chickens, tho bull tries to gore
rcsstnl combat; but the creature who fears
the monster least is tho brave cat. Seeing "a
snake, she at once carries her kittens to 6.
place Of safety, then boldly advances to the
encounter. She will walk to the very limit
Of the serpcnt's striking range and begin to
feint teasing him, startling him, trying to
draw his blow. How the emerald and
the tnpazine eyes glow thcn-they are
flames. y moment more and the tri-
angular head, Kissing from the coil,
flashes swift as il moved by wings. But
swifter still the strong stroke Of the armed
paw that snites the horror aside, finging it,
,nansle'i and gasping, ll the dust. Never
tleless, pussy does net yet dare to spring;
tl.s enemy, still active, has almost in.
sta!ttly reformed his coil; but she is again
in front of him, watching-vertical pupil
against vertical pupil. Again the lash
i!!.s stroke; again the beautiful counter
iA-; the living death is hurled aside, the
sc...l skin is deeply torn, one eye socket has
ceased to flame. Once more the stroke of the
ser! e!.t once more the light, quick, cutting
b.o,". But now tho trigonocephalus is blind,
i, stupcfiel; before he can attempt to coil,
pussy has leapcl upon him, mailing tho hor-
rible fiat head fast to the ground with her
two sinevvy paws Now let him lash, writhe,
t:.inc, strive to tangle her!-in vain! he will
never lift lis head; an instant more and he
lies still; the fine white teeth have severed
the vertebre just behind the triangular
.,.ul!.-Lafacadio Hearu in Harper's Maga-
Zluc
Arc Lamp Signals.
Signals flashed from an arc lamp upon the
clouds at the Cape of Good Hope have been
seen at distance Of fifty miles. This method