The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-03-10
IMPRISONED BY A SNAKE.

Twenty years ago, was the managing
clerk in an English merchants office.
My work was heavy. Many nights sat
at my books until far into the small
hours of morning. Once or twice act
ually dozed off into a sleep, to be awaken
ed by the woman who cleaned the various
rooms coming to her work. The house
I was connected with had a branch es-
tablished in India doing large business,
and many curious consignments of goods,
quite outside of our usual articles of
commerce, passed through our hands
Priceless cloths and native fabrics, brass
and gold ornaments set with preciou
stones, collections of stones, BOTANICAL
specimens, birds animals everything,
in fact, until at times the contents Of the
cases, if opened and spread out, would
have made very average museum. One
afternoon large box was delivered from
one of the ships labelled ''To be kept in
moderately warm place." 1 was away
from the warehouse at the time OF its ar
rival, and the men placed it in the outer
office. On my return casually noticed
the case on passing, and saw that one
end was slightly crushed, as if by some
heavier case falling on it. This was
mere accidental observance.
My private office was just four walls,
hung with maps and charts A writing
bureau in the center of the floor behind
the door; behind the bureau large iron
freproof safe some six feet high and
four feet square, standing twelve or four
cen inches from the wall, and case of
books and three or four chairs complet-
ed the Inventory. 1 was going to work
late and in a short time l was alone in
the large building. 1 worked steadily
until midnight. arose and paced around
the room for few minutes. A sound as
OF chair being moved in the adjoining
room startled me. I stepped to the door
and opened it. The light from street
lamp lit the room fairly well, and after a
glance concluded it must have been
fancy, and returned to my desk leaving
the door open. A few minutes afterward
a faint harsh sound came from the same
direction, curious rubbing sound, un-
deniably within the next room, and
quite as undeniably moving toward the
door leading to where / was sit
ting. rose to my feet, and as l did
SO the head and neck of huge snake
prOtruded through the door way into
the weli-lit room. stood transfixed with
horror. When the reptile saw me it
stopped for second, its eyes grew more
and more afame until they resembled
two lurid balls of fire, its tongue dart
ed in and out of its mouth, and the head
raised higher and higher until nearly
level with my own. l could hear its
body coiling and recoiling in fury in the
darkness beyond, and there 1 stood pow
erless, unarmed, and apparently unable
even to move. 1 looked once around in
a despairing search for some outlet OF
escape, and as L took my eyes from
those of the horrible reptile it lowered
it's head and darted toward me. Anoth-
or second and it would have caught me,
when seeing the open safe, rushed in
and shut the door. A small petty cash
book fell to the floor, half in, half out OF
the safe, holding the door open about
half an inch. But for that book would
have speedily been suffocated. Not
thinking of that, stopped and tried to
draw the book inside, but the snake
moving simultaneously with myself had
dashed itself against the safe, and in its
brute fury, thinking the safe part and
parcel of myself, had thrown its coil