Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1889-01-26


natural inclination was 70 let things lake
Their course. Il 50 e9nef Useless - th.sh
Of trying 70 cA:r.e4;e myself from the
vice.ike embrace nat appeared to cIutoa
M - q rubber mold At terriD { ten
sion. from the vast down 1t wa, anlg
a nightmare, which would pas away n
a l.tllc whie And yct, it couldn't b.
nightmare, for was Iimiy conscious
Of being awake aftef all, and not seep
and dreaming
! ca.iIsE1 ths. ly a supreme c.1osr f
the viii | aroused my well-ni4h dorn4st
faculties 10 e sense that something ri
tile "as the matter. ] h numoae>9 ia.
not reached my arm and / tired 10 raise
myself up-I Was lying face do w0ward
As ] stroyc to rise | was drag.cd oae k
ward several feet along the ground
lIorrlficd and bewilIered | ra >el my self
UP with frantic effort, sufficient to
look toward III. he ple-~ eltrem5t" Wv
i-Cod wa- hall en4ufcd IN he throat
Of monster boa IL hdeatl~ reptile.
tindirg me ying II length on the ground.
stupctied, hal deliberately SIT IL out
swallowing me
Now | was thoroughly aroused the
sensation was as though some powerful
suction pump were emp Dyed N drag
ging me remorscic>sly down, doNn,
Il N, -, ~
depths Of my deyoutci'> stomach. | va,
suffering no ph>s.cal rain to speak of.
the dreadful re>sare on tic lower half
ofthc body created only punbne~~ fhere
above was Il sense OF ophres> vcfc~s, but
there was an ute. absence Of acute
pain
! An indeecrilably eickenin1 odar also
emanated from the monstrous reptile
1 that was lesurcly working me down its
throat. 1t was the breath from the foul
and shiny stomach that already cntombetl
my feet and LEGS, and would ere long
close over my head. Maddencd at the
loathsome prospect. | gave horritied
|
cally at the ground. | struggled to re
lease myself from the deadly embrace OF
the serpents throat,
As well might some modern .Canute
try to stay the tidal waves resistlcs>
force as | to struggle for freedom from
that living wise stretched like rubber
about every hairbreadth of what it en-
} quilted. AS | struggled could feel the
hooked fangs Of my feyourer clutch TIE
buckskin Jacket was wearing, and hold
me like par of hungry nippers, while
the horrible suction pump below seemed
to be worked with anxious energy
As soon as | realized the utter hope
les2ne>s of accomplishing anything by
str ggling a complete change came over
me. became az calm and collected as
if there was nothing to be alarmed at in
my 20 >ltion. 50 cool and philosophical
did begin to review the situation that
| concluded must have suddenly gone
mad
If there was the slightest hope of es-
cape, ! argued with myself, it would be
III keeping my presence of mind and re-
naming perfectly quiet Every struggle
might make to get loose, would land me
an inch further down into tie 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
natura, history came the conclusion that
! my dcvourer must have been a good
twenty four hours engulting me up to
lie wA}sf. and that by 0 ering a merely
passive resistance | m gilt keen my head
and shoulders outside as long as life re
NAMED. From the time | discovered
myself 20 he in the boas lethiferous grin
: until the above sensible resolve was ar
5 rived at could hardly have been thrce
1 minutes
e or the first time since recovering
consciousness, my thoughts how found
s opportunity t. wander from mv own sen
,4tjuus anal nv first thought was 81
c Nu'i'ia. " hat had become Of him:
Was he, too, beng devou1ed. or was he
: already dosroyet \ oleam of hope
: >hot through my brain at the query.
/ Perhaps be IS unframed. and when ht
/. rccoNer> from the stupefyin- effects oi
the berries VIII be able 10 render ,he