St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-05
IN BoA-CoNsTRlCToR's COIL
The Thrilling Experience Of a
Hunter in India.

Hunter in India.
India Statesman.
In company with half-breed, who
combined the vocations of woodman
and hunter, l stumbled suddenly on a
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 a
low stump and prepared for action.
AbOut.a yard of the body next to the
head was contracted into numerous sharp
curves not unlike a corkscrew, while
the yellow eyes cleaned with baleful
light.
There was little fascination about
these orbs, and no mistaking the malig-
nant 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swiftly Withdrawn.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 effected
by the instantaneous Strengthening of
the short curves into which this portion
of the body had been contracted. Even
the willy mongoose would have needed
all of his marvellous agility to avoid the
deadly stroke if once within range.
The reach was about a yard, and the
assault was delivered horizontally some
six inches from the ground. directly
toward the assailant. The hunter, who
had hitherto kept respectful distance,
as he alleged the snake conld 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 examine
it. AS though galvanized into life by
the touch. the crotalus seemed at once
to recover its energies, and slowly made
couple of turns around the thigh and
right arm of the would-be captor. The
constructing power exercised was such
to lose power, and the writer realized
the awful predicament into which his
temerity had led him. Little could be
done with the free left hand, while tine
''scaly terror began slowly to withdraw
its head from the relaxing grasp of the
right.
For some seconds the trembling
woodsman appeared deaf to entreaty,
and could not be persuaded to apply a
moose or Llama to the snakes neck. The
largest serpents become paralyZed when
properly noosed, and are readily
dragged along the ground helpless as a
log. just as the snakes head seemed
about to ooze through the numbed fin
gers the half-breed screwed up his cour-
aye sufficiently to apply the Llama as
directed, with the result that the brute
relaxed its 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 a
mans leg.
The fangs. which were carefully ex.
tracted, measured one and a quarter
inches in length and were hollow TIC
within short distance of the point
where On the inner side lay the orifice
through which the poison was elected
by the action of the base of the fang on
the bag in which it was secreted. In
squeezing the bag small quantity OF
poison, yellow fluid, passed down the
hollow in the tooth and gathered into a
tiny drop of concentrated death. The
stomach contained two woodrats about
the size of guinea pigs, one partially
digested, the other recently swallowed