Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-02-07

finding me lying at length on the
ground, stupefied, had deliberately set
about swallowing me.
Now ! was thoroughly aroused, the
sensation was as though some power
ful suction pump were employed in
dragging me remorselessly down,
down, down; inch by inch into the
Shiny depths of my devourer's stom-
ach. was suffering no physical pain
to speak of; the dreadful pressure on
the lower half Of the body created only
numbness there; above was sense of
opp essiveness, but there was an utter
absence Of acute pain
An indescribably sickening odor also
emanated from the monstrous reptile
that was leisurely working me down
his throat. 1t was the breath from the
foul and Shiny stomach that already
entombed my feet and legs, and would
ere long close over my head. Mad
dencd at the loathsome prospect, |
gave q Mortified scream of agony, and
clutching frantically at the ground |
struggled frantically to release myself
from the deadly embrace of the SER
pont's throat.
AS well might some modern Canute
try to stay the tidal waves resistless
course as to struggle for freedom
from that living wise stretched like
rubbe. about every hair-breadth of
what it engulfed. AS struggled l
could feel the hooked fangs of my de-
vourer clutch the buckskin jacket |
was wearing and hold me like pair
OF hungry nippers, while the horrible
suction-pump below seemed to be
worked with anxious energy.
AS soon as realized the utter hope
lessness of accomplishing any thing by
struggling complete change came
over me. / became as calm and col
lected as if there was nothing to be
alarmed at in my position. So cool
and philosophical did | begin to re-
view the situation that l concluded |
must have suddenly gone mad
If there was the slightest hope of
escape, argued with myself, it would
be in keeping my presence of mind
and remaining perfectly quiet. Every
struggle l might make to get loose
would land me an inch further down
into the depths of the boa's slippery
tomb, by bringing into play the hooked
fangs and arousing the activity of that
horrible suction force within.
From my school-boy recollections of
natural history came the conclusion
that my devourer must have been a
good twenty-four hours engulfng me
up to the waist, and that by Offering a
merely passive resistance might
keep my head and shoulders outside as
long as life remained. From the time
| discovered myself to be in the boa s
lethiferous grip until the above sensi-
bic resolve was arrived at could hardly
have been three minutes
For the first time since recovering
consciousness my thoughts now found
opportunity to wander from my own
sensations, and my first thought was
of Murilla What had become of himP
Was he, too, being devoured, or was
he already destroyed? A CLEAN OF
hope shot through my brain at the
query. Perhaps he is unharmed, and
when he recovers from the stup efying
effects ofthe berries will be able to rem
der me assistance.
In my anxiety to see if Murilla were
any where around, tried to look about
me. The movement disturbed the boa
and again he dragged me backward
two or three feet, and again the pres
sure from below exerted itself anew tc
try and drag me in. So long as l re
manned perfectly quiet the boa seemed
content to let nature take its course
and to remain in a semi-comatose con
dition. He seemed TO realize that he
had undertaken tremendous job, anC
one that required great deal of pa
thence. The least movement on my
part, however, he would interpret a
once into an effort of his prey to escape
and would reciprocate by trying t.
swallow me.
Hours, that the horror of my position
seem to lengthen into days, passed by
l thought | should go stark, ravins
mad, as felt the fangs of my hideou'
devourer scraping against my buckskir
Jacket to try and inch me further dowr
his throat.
The heavy odor of the reptile
breath was like some overpowerinl
drug, which. if distilled and applied
in moderation. might even be toler
able to the nostrils. Darkness came
and added to the terror of my situa
tion. My nerves were now badl.
shattered, and, in the darkness, m,
plight was pitiable in the extreme
How shall l describe the weird hor
rors of that dreadful night? l
seemed an eternity spent amid al
the blackness and the mental torture
|
of hell itself.
Morning dawned at last although
l never thought it would come ant
find me in possession of my senses
: Why it didn't find me ravins
maniac, or blubbering idiot, scenes
, the strangest thing that had yet hap
pened.
My first thought was to ascertain
whether the gutta-percha-like openin;
in my living tomb had gained on m
during those awful hours of darknes
or not l was lying all this Will
, face downward, and, although by thi
time weakened almost to state Q
/ helplessness. l used my left hand :
| feel the taut rim of the boa-constrict
or's jaws. They were three ful
> | inches higher nm nv body than yeste