Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-01-16
THE sERPENTS BITE.
A Naturalist's Fearful Experience in
n Southern Forest.

! metto scrubs and dense grown thlckets,
his favorite haunts, and in addition to
the heavy leggins | constantly wore, !
never took the field without having
with me the antidotes considered by
taxidermists the ones most likely to
effect cure.
Thus my snake box, as I call it,
and to which undoubtedly owe my life,
contained lance an easily adjustable
ligature, hypodermic syringe, and q
small vial filled with the prescribed per
cent. solution OF pcrmanganite OF pot
ash. 1t is, perhaps, unnecessary to add
was amply provided with tho popular
remedy known as snake poison"
Thus armed. for years had followed
my favorite pursuits, meeting occasion
ally venomous reptiles, and having, it is
true, several rather narrow escapes, but
until day of which am about TO write
arrived had never been bitten by them.
1t was DELICIOUS afternoon Of the
southern spring. A heavy shower at
noon had cleared the sultry atmosphere
of morning, and the fresh, moist air,
was laden with tho perfume of flowers,
Mounted on favorite pony, had rid
den to tee hummock at the border OF
the lake, and here tied him, dismount-
ing to wander at will in search of the
specimens / desired. The path was
comparatively open, and i'll fancied secu-
rity gave slight heed to my footsteps,
indeed paying more TO the trees over
head.
A probable specimen soon absorbed
my attention, and in endeavoring to
determine its identity, l moved slightly
forward in order to obtain n more adj
vantageous position from which to OBJ
serve it. A fallen tree lay across the
path, aud thoughtlessly stepped upon
it to pass over, when the sound OF the
warning rattle fell upon my ear. and a
single glance showed the dreaded form
of the serpent at my feet. But the step
was half taken, too late did | attempt to
draw back; the threatened danger above
him, rendered rattle ard strike almost
simultaneous, and with horror felt the
blow upon my ankle,
There is a blank here, my mind was
in whirl, and it is difficult for mo to
tell exactly how | acted: the reptiles
fangs became fastened in my leggings.
and have dim impression OF pushing
him from his hold. and firing MS he fell
from me, the charge striking his head
and blowing Il literally into u thousand
atoms.
With a sickening sense OF fear, /
hastily toro OF my useless leggings; my
loose hunting trousers were quickly
rolled to the knee. Hope was almost
abandoned when / saw tho two faint
punctures of the serpent's fangs, already
slightly discolored, burning like heated
needles in the flesh, sending fiery darts
of flame throughout my system. How
many times have relived that moment
with all its intense agony Thought
followed thought with lightning m
pidity. Could retain possession of my
senses, repeatedly asked myself. long
enough to employ the remedies with
which was provided
Drawing my flask / swallowed half
its contents as though it were water,
then with trembling hand took from my
pocket my "snake box, and extracted
a lance, made without fiinching, n deep
incision across the fang mnrks: the
blood gushed forth, but far from cans
ing faintness it produced exactly the
opposite result, and / not only expert.
enced no pain, but regarded with salts
faction this loss of blood which nj any
other time, would have occasioned alarm.
The ready ligature was now placed
above the wound and frightened; tho
syringe filled with the prescribed ten
drops and injected into and about the
wound, the flask again resorted to.
My feelings during this period / can
not adequately describe, and l shudder
even now when / recall the almost para
lying sense of fear which possessed me.
While the application Of the antidotes,
incision, &c., III reality occupied very
few minutes, certainly less than five
from the moment l was struck, it
seemed to me lived years, and / expe-
rienced in full the sensation OF the
drowning man, here prolonged to q mad
dening degree, my life history passing
through my MIND in surging thought,
long-forgotten incidents returning viz.
idly and following each other with
rapidity which was marvellous.
Nerved to action by hope of life, |
had thus treated myself on strength de-
rived from intense excitement. Know
ing now / had done allin my power, the
mental stimulus of self representation de-
serted me, the reaction came, and sank
to the ground. A feeling of numbness,
which / tried in vain to overcome, crept
over me, almost sitting the severity OF
my suffering once, twice, ] aroused
myself to loosen and readjust the liga-
ture upon my leg, the ankle and foot
below were suffused with restricted
blood, whose pressure threatened to
burst the veins which confined it, and
slight relief was afforded by allowing
portion to pursue its natural course and
enter my system the accession, too, of
comparatively pure blood in the pois-
oned part prevented the appearance of
gangrene which too long impression
was sure to cause.
A third time essayed to arrange il,
but the execution was more than could |
bear, and as it loosened in my grasp, | |
frightful sense Of suffoca-
ton, mist blurred my vision / tried |
to move, but my limbs were set in the !
rigidity of death, and the thought that
/ was dying was the last can remember.
When consciousness returned night |