The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-01
IN A SERPENT'S COILS.
Tho Experience of an Indian Hunter Who
Fought Boa Constructor.


Fought u Boa CONSTRUCTOR.
In company with half-breed who
combined the vocations of a wOOdman
and hunter, | stumbled one day ca u
large specimen of the crotalus mutus.
slowly winding its way among the
leaf debris of the forest. For some
time it was difficult to discern the
scaly folds of the snake through the
brown mass of decaying foliage. but
having reached a clear spot the reptile
coiled around low stump and pre-
pared for action. About a yard of the
body next to the head was contracted
into numerous sharp curves not unlike
corkscrew, while tho yellow eyes
cleaned with baleful light.
There was little fascination about
| lignant intentions OF their owner. A
stick brought within reach of that NOR
tai coil was struck almost with the
rapidity of lightning, no matter how
swiftly withdrawn. This was affected
by the instantaneous strengthening of
| the short curves into which this por-
ton of the body had been contracted.
Even the willy mongoose would have
needed all his marvellous agility to
avoid the deadly stroke if once within
range. The reach was about yard,
and the assault was delivered horizont-
ally some six inches from the ground,
directly toward the assailant. The
hunter, who had hitherto kept q re-
spectful distance, as he alleged the
snake could spring, was eventually
persuaded to approach sufficiently near
to strike it with ten-foot pole.
At the first blow the heavy coils re-
Taxed from the stump and the creature
appeared dead or stunned. The writer
at once grasped the neck about two
| inches from the head and raised the
head partly from the ground to exam
inc it. AS though galvanized into life
! by the touch, the crOtaluS seemed at
once to recover its energies, and swiftly
! made couple of turns around the
/ thigh and right arm of the would-be
captor. The constructing power exer
cised was such that the hand graSping
the neck began to lose power and the
writer realized the awkward predica-
ment into which his temerity had led
him. Little could be done with the
free left hand, while the ''scaly terror"
began slowly to withdraw its head from
the relaxing grasp OF the right.
| For some seconds the trembling
woodman appeared deaf to entreaty
and could not be pursuaded to apply
moose or Llama to the snake neck. The
largest serpcuts become paralyzed
when properly noosed, and are readily
dragged along the ground, helpless as
log. just as the snakes head seemed
about to ooze through the numbed fin
gers, the half breed screwed up his
courage sufficiently to apply the Llama
as directed, with the result that the
brute relaxed it's coils and was dragged
down to neighboring stream, hung
up and skinned. 1t measured eight
feet five inches and was about as thick
in the largest part of the body as the
calf of mans leg.
The fangs, which were carefully ex-
tracted. measured one and a quarter
inches in length, and were hollow to
within q short distance of the point.
where, on the inner side, lay the ORR
flee through which the poison was
elected by the action of the base of the
fang on the bag in which it was Sc
GREETED. On squeezing the bag small
quantity of poison, a yellow fluid,
passed down the hollow in the tooth and
gathered in q tiny drop of concentrated
death. The stomach contained two
wood-rats about the size of guinea
pigs, one partially digested, the other
recently swallowed. India Statesman.