Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-10-12
A Terrible Tropical Snake.


the gray speckled with black. precisely
the color that enables the monster 10
hide himself among the roots OF the
trees by simply coiling about them
and concealing his triangular head.
Sometimes he is a beautiful flower
yellow; then he may never be distin-
guished from the bunch of bright ba-
nannas among which he hangs coiled;
or he may be dark yellow, or yel-
lowiSh brown, or the color OF wine
less speckled with pink and black, or
a perfect ash tint, or black with yel-
low belly. or black with Il rose belly
all hues of tropical mould, of old bark
of putrefying trees, Of forest detritus.
The iris OF the eye orange, with red
flashes; at night il glows like incan-
descent charcoal.
And the fer-de-lance reigns absolute
king over the mountains and the ra-
vines; he is lord of the forest and the
solitudes by day, and by night he ex-
tends his dominion over the public
roads, the familiar paths, the parks,
the pleasure resorts. People must re
main AT home after dark unless they
dwell in the city itself; il YOU happen
to be out visiting after sunset, only n
mile from town, your friends will eau
tion you anXiously not TO follow the
boulyard as you go back, and TO keep
as closely rs possible 10 the very cen
ire of the path. Even in the bright
est noon YOU cannot venture 10 enter
the woods unescorted; you cannot
trust your eyes TO detect danger; at
any moment a seeming branch, knot
OF lianas, pink or gray root, IA clump
OF pendent yellow fruit, may suddenly
take life, writh, swell, stretch, spring,
strike. Then YOU will need aid indeed,
and most quickly; for within the
space OF few heart beats the stricken
flesh chills, tumefes, softens, changes
color, spots violaceously, and an icy
coldness crawls through all the blood.
If the physician or the pauseur arrives
in time, and no artery or vein has been
directly pierced, there is hope; but
the danger is not passed when the
life has been saved. Necrosis OF the
tissues begins; the flesh corrupts, tat
ters. tumble from the bone; and the
colors of its putrefaction are frightful
mockeries of the hues Of vegetable
death. of forest decomposition, the
ghastly pinks and grays and yellows
of rotting trunks and roots melting
back into the thick fetid clay that
gave them birth. You moulder rs
the trees moulder; you crumble and
dissolve as dissolves the substance OF
the balates and the palms and the
acomats: the Death of-the-W Woods has
seized upon you.
And this pestilence that walketh in
darkness. this destruction that vast
eth at MONDAY, may not be exercised.
Each female produces viviparOusly
from forty to sixty young at birth.
The haunts Of the creature are in
many cases inaccessible, ineXplorable; ;
its multiplication is prodigious, il is
only the surplus Of its swarIning that
overpours into the cane fields,
and makes the high-roads perilous
after sunset, yet 10 destroy three or
four hundred thanatophidia on "A
single small plantation during the
lapse OF twelve months has not been
uncommon. The introduction Of the
mangouste (the ichneumon) may, it II
hoped. do much toward protecting
the workers i'm the cane fields and on
the cocoon and coffee plantation; but
the mangouste's powers are limited
and the ocean Of death il illimitieble'
Uncle Rastus-'Skuse Inc, sab, but
am dis not Mistah Johnsing whom ]
met larst night?
Mr. Johnsing- same sab; an'dis
AIN Mistah Rastus Whithwash, ef ]
mistake not How is yo' feelin', sab,
arter de effecks oh de ebenin?
Uncle Rastus-PoO'ly, sab, poo'ly.
Wud yo jine me in er drink?
Mr. Johnsing-Wid pleasure, White
wash. Oh co'se don blieve in bein'
promiscus, but eben chickencoop ac-
uuaintances sometimes turn out TO be
very pleasant, sab.