Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-08-09
WORSE THAN The sTAE.
The Zig Tarantuia and the Mental r. lure
of Its soldier Victim.

fee and get a bite 10 eat, aud while |
Private Malone was getting the coffee |
ready three or four OF the men
stretched out for quarter OF an
hours sleep. There were seven OF
us, United States dragons. searching
for some horses which had broken
away, and Big George" as we called
him, who was a sergeant, was In COM
mand. ! was very wide awake, hav-
ing caught sight OF a snake moving of
as we came up, and as the sergeant
lay on his back, his face sheltered
| from the sun, looked him over and
admired his proportions. He was
| man who stood exactly six feet tall in
his stockings, weighed 2l8 pounds,
and it was no trick at all for him TO
! take two Of the strongest men in the
regiment and hold them at arms
| length or dance them about like pup
| pets.
1t might have been ten minutes aft
er he lay down that | sud lenly caught
| sight Of a tarantula on his breast-the
largest and most Notwithstanding
| specimen ! ever saw, aud lived for
seven years among them. The SER
| geant had on the regulation cavalry
jacket, and it was buttoned all the
way up. He lay on the broad Of his
back, arms down beside him. and
had no sooner caught sight of the big
spider than 1 saw that the mans eyes
which could see under his red hand
kerchief, were open. He saw the
tarantula, perhaps, before | did
turned my head to the right, and Ma
lony. who stood upright at the fire,
was looking at the sergeant, with face
as white as snow. turned to the left.
and the two other men who had not
sought sleep were also gazing in hor-
rOr.
Not one Of liz dared move. Should
we do so the spider might spring away
in alarm but the chances were that he
would bite before doing So I was only
foot away from the sergeant's feet
and on line with his face. and could
look into his eyes and read his
thoughts. He was a game man. He
had been tested over aud over but
never in such Il manner. How would
he stand the ordealP The spider had
a curiosity regarding the brass buttons
on the jacket. He lowered over the
fifth one from the top for three or four
minutes. read in the sergeants eyes
surprise, repugnance and calculation.
| carefully watched the muscles OF
his face. He might as well have been
Iaal oil ha 7 oa,,11 do
tect.
Now the spider moves up button
now back two. Those shining metals
are new sight to him As he moves
down ] read relief in the sergeant's
eyes. As he moves up again | read
anxiety. Not a finger moves. His
chest heaves as regularly as the beats
of a clock.
Now the spider moves up to the Sec
ond button from the top and shakes
himself nervously. He is right under
the sergeant's clean-shaved chin, and
not over n foot from his eyes. Now
fear comes to the mans eyes, aud
see beads of perspiration start out on
his big, rel hands. He has been
hemmed in by Indians. chased by
hungry wolves, lost on the trackless
plains without losing his nerve. 1t il
going now. The spider shakes itself,
and the look of fear gives place to one
of terror We know, and the SER
geant knows, that the insect is an-
gered. and that its next move will be
upward.
The coffee is boiling over into the
fire, and two or three of the horses
are looking at us in an interrogative
way, as If puzzled at our attitudes.
fairly ache to shout-to spring up-to
do something; but dare not move q
finger.
Flash! The great spider jumps into
the center of the handkerchief spread
: over the sergeant's face and glides
; here and there in wonderment. The
sergeauts eyes express hope. The
horrible thing may leap from his face
to the earth. No! 1t crawls slowly
, down to the lower edge of the hand
kerchief. and the sergeant's eyes speak
horror and desperation, aud his hands
are as wet as if plunged into bucke
of water. Now the spider crawls of
the handkerchief onto the sergeant,
3 chin, and for thirty seconds is entirely
motionless.
The man is doomed His eyes tel
4 me so. His soul is sick with horror
: but what nerve TO hold himself dowr
and take the chances! Not one man il
million could do it. Not n muscl,
/ moves; not the slightest change in the
heave of the breast. He is in mor'
torture than the man at the stake, bu
his nerve is not broken.
The spider suddenly shakes itself
inflicts its bite, and is gone like flash
u springing clear over one of the othe
), men. Then. with scream OF despair
the sergeant springs up, eyes full o
? terror and face distorted. and goes
rushing away on foot over the plains
We saddle up and pursue. but h
/, lodges, turns and twists about. and i
1 is an hour before We can catch him
:. Then he sinks helplessly down, and in
/, side of two hours is dead. N. Y. Sun
J.
| Five young squirrels were found il