The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-07-20
AN AWFUL SPECTACLE.
Watching the Deadly Tarantula Making
up Its Mind to Bite.

fee and get bite to eat, and while Prl-
vate Maloney was getting the coffee
ready, three or four of the men stretch
ed out for 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 sergeant, was in
command. | was very wide awake,
having caught site of snake moving
off as we came up, and as the sergeant
lay on his face sheltered from the sun,
| looked him over and admired his
proportions. He was a man who stood
exactly six feet in his stockings, weighed
2IS pounds, and 1t 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
puppets.
1t might have been ten minutes after
nc lay down that | caught sight of a
tarantula on his breast-the largest and
most horrible looking specimen ever
saw, and | lived for seven years among
them. The sergeant had on the regu-
lation cavalry jacket, and it was button
ed all the way up. He lay on the broad
of his back, arms down beside him, and
l had no sooner caught sight of the big
spider than | saw that the mans eyes,
which | could see under his red hand
kerchief, were open. He saw the taran-
tula perhaps before l did. turned my
head to the right, and Malony, 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 horror.
Not one of US dared move. Should
we do so the spider might spring away
in alarm, but the chances were that he
would bite before doing so. l was
only foot away from the Sergeant's
feet on a line with his face, and could
look into his eyes and read his thoughts.
He was game man. He had been
tested over and over, but never in such
manner. How would he stand the
ordeal? The spider had a curiosity re-
garding the brass buttons on his jacket.
He lowered over the fifth one from the
top for three or four minutes. l read
in the Sergeant's eyes surprise, repug-
nance and calculation. l carefully
watched the muscles of his face. He
might as we'll have been dead for all
the movement l could detect.
Now the spider moves up a button
now back two. Those Singing metals
are new sight to him. AS he moves
down | read relief in the sergeant's
eyes. AS he moves up again l read
anxiety. Not a finger moves. His
chest beats as regularly as the beats of
a clock.
Now the spider moves up to the
second button from the top and shakes
himself nervously. He IS right under
the Sergeant's clean shaved chin and
not over a foot from his eyes. Now
fear comes to the mans eyes and see
beads of perspiration start out on his
big red hands. He has been hemmed
in by Indians, chased by hungry wolves,
lost on the trackless plains without los
ing his nerve. 1t is going now. The
spider shakes itself and the look of fear
gives place to one of terror. We know
and the Sergeant knows that the insect
is angered 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, a:
if puzzled at our attitudes. l fairly ache
to shout-to spring up-to do some
thing but l dare not move finger.
Flash The great spider jumps into
the centre of the handkerchief spread
over the Sergeant's face and glides here
and there in wunderment. The Ser,
geant's eyes express hope. The horrible
thing may leap from his face to the earth
No 1t crawls slowly down to the lowe
edge of the handkerchief, and the Ser
geant's eyes speak horror and despera
ton, and his hands are wet as if plung
ed into a bucket of water. Now tn,
spider crawls off the handkerchief ontt
the Sergeants chin. and for thirty sec
onds is entirely motionless.
The man is doomed. His eyes tel
me so. His soul is sick with horror
but what nerve to hold him down ant
take the chances ! Not one man in
million could do it. Not a muscl
moves not the slightest change in tn
heave OF his breast. He is in more tor
ture than the man at the stake, but hi
nerve is broken.
The spider suddealy shakes itself, in
hicts its bite, and is gone like flasi,
springIng clear over one of the othe
men. Then with a scream of despair tn
Sergeant springs up. eyes full of terro
and face distorted, and goes rushin
away ON foot over the plains. We sad
die up and pursue but he dodges, turn
and twists about, and it is an hour be
fore we can catch him. Then he sink
helplessly down, and inside of tw
hours is dead.-Me7O York SIN.