Daily Republican., 1889-06-18
AN AWFUL SPECTACLE.


From the New York sun.
We had camped down on rhe plains of
| Texas one no II TO boil eur OF coffee
and get bite to cat, and while Private
| Mallory was getting the coffee ready,
three or four OF tine men stretched out for
a quarter OF an hours sleep. There were
seven of ne, 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, hav-
ing caught sight OF snake moving oil as
we came up, aud as the sergeant lay on
bis back, Ills face sheltered from the sun,
| looked him over and admired his pro-
portions. lie was q man who stood ex.
actly six feet tall in his stockings, weighed
2ls pounds, and t. Was no trick ut ali for
him TO take two of the strongest men In
the regiment and held them ut arms
length or dance them about like puppe,e.
II might have been ten minutes eitcr
he lay down that / suddenly caught eight
of 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
regulation cavalry Jacket, aud il was but
toned all the way up. He lay on the
broad OF his back, arms down beside hun,
and had no sooner caught sight Of the
big spider than saw that the man g eyes,
which l could see under his rod haudker-
chief, were opsn. He saw the tarantula
perhaps before did. turned my head
TO the right, and Mallory, who stood up
right at the fire, was looking mt the Ser
geant, with face as white as snow. L
| turned to the left, aud the two other men
who had not sought sleep were also
| gazing in horror.
Not one of us dared move. Should we
do 50 the spider might spring away In
| alarm, but the chances were that he
would bite before doing so. | was only
a 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 game man. He had been tested
| over and over, but never In such mar
ner. How would he stand the ordeall
The spider had a curiosity regarding the
orass buttons on the jacket lie lowered
over the lith one from the top for three
or four minutes. | read In the SergeAnt'e
eyes surprise. repugnsnce and calcula-
tion. carefully watched the muscles OF
his face. He might as well have been
dead for all the movement Icould detect.
Now the spider moves up button
are rev sight to him. As he moves
down READ relief In the Sergeant's eyes.
As he moves up again ! read anxiety.
Not finger moves. His chest heaves ne
regularly as as the the beate of a clock.
Now the spider moves up to the second
button from the top and shakes himself
neryously. He is right under the Ser
geants clean-shaved chin and not over q
foot from his eyes. Now fear comes to
the mans eyes aud see beads OF rer.
spirRton start out on his big red hands.
lie has been hemmed in by Indians, chas.
ed by hungry wolves, lost on the track
less plains without losing his nerve. 1t
Is going now. The spider shakes iteelf
and the look Of fear gives place to one OF
terror. We know and tho 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 look
ing at US in Gn interrogative way, as If
puzzled at our attitudes. ] fairly ache to
shout-to spring up-to do something,
but | dare not move finger.
Flash The great spider Jumps into
the centre of the handkerchief spread
over the Sergeants face and glides here
aud there III wonderment. The Sergeant's
eyes express hope. Tie horrible thing
may leap from his face to the earth. MOI
II crawls slowly down to the lover edge
of the handkerchief, and the Sergeant's
eyes speak horror and desperation, and
| his hands are as wet as if plunged into
| bucket Of water. Now the spider crawls
of the handkerchief onto the Se-geAut's
chin, and for thirty seconds is entirely
| motl9nless.
The man Is doomed. HIS eyes tell me
70. His soul is sick with hsrror, but
what nerve 10 hold himself down and
take the chnncesl Not one man In
million could do It. Not a muscle
moves; not the slightest change in the
heave of his breast He Is In more tor
ture than the man at the stake, but his
nerve is not broken.
The spider suddenly shakes Itself, In
aicts its bite, aud is gone like Fash,
epringing clear over one OF the other
men Then with scream 0! despair the
Sergeant springs up, eyes full Of terror
and face distorted, and goes rushing
away on foot over the plains. We ead-
die up and pursue but he lodges, turns
| and twists about, and It Is au hour be.
tore VIC can catch him. Then he sinks
helplessy down, aud inside of two houis
is cead.