Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1889-01-09

Dt6neIofoa Sh0t
GIi(11 t9ve - ! rood
&A9ul1Mg - up "a
fko&gby o1SSffng Amers1y
n2Sel n III ksep ny head
scGad6616cntn3d6 ~ long ~ life ~
SnatnG1 Ero1n ~ time I discovered
ny6lf ~ u NJ bo1ss lethiferous grip
nm "a Xkcse Sensible resolve wa ar
INCL u con1d hardly have BEEN three
EoF the Arst time since recovering
|e-ounoionsneAa my thonghts now found
|0pp0rtnnity " wander from my own
|eenaati0rn, md my first thought was OF
NurilIa. What had become ct him ?
Wa NJ, too, being deyoured or was he
alfesdy destroycds A CLEAN Of hope
ahOa through my brasa at the query.
p0rhaps he y unframed, and when he
reCOvers from the stupefying effects Of
~ berries be will ba able to render me
ans;stAnce.
III nv anxiety 10 nee il Muril,a was
anywhere around, / tried ii look about
me-. The movement disturbed the boa,
md again he dragged me backward two
or tAree fest, and again the pressure
frOm below exerted itself to try and
drak mo ia. So long a. I remained per-
iscsiy quiet the boa seemed content to
~ nature take its course, and TO remain
ii ! ssnni-comatose condition. He
seemed to realize that he had UNDER
taken . tremendous job, and one that
required : great deal Of patience. The
least movement ON NV part. however,
he would interpret At once into an
effort Of his prey to escape. and would
reciprcaate by trying to swallow me.
Honrs that the horror Of my position
seemed to lengthen into days, passed
BY. I thought / should 60 stark, Y
ing mad = I felt the fangs Of my hide
ous devourer scraping against my buck
skin jacket TO try and inch me further
down his threat.
The heavy odor Of the reptiles bBesth
was like some oyerpowering drug.
which IL distilled and applied In moder.
alton might even be tolerable TO the
nostrils. Darkness came, aud added to
the terror Of my situation. My nerves
were o badly shattered, and in the
darkness my plight was pitiable in the
GxtIeL1G. HOW bIibA ! ucneFluc WIG
weird horrors Of that dreadful night?
II seemed an eternity spent amid all
the blackness and the mental tortures
Of He'll itself.
Morning dawned at last, although /
never thought It would come and find
mo in possession OF my senses. Why it
didn't find me q raving maniac, or q
blubbering idiot, seemed the strangest
thing that had yet happened.
Nv first thought was to ascertain
whether the guttaperchalike opening in
my living tomb had gained on me dur
ing those awful hours Of darkness or
not. I was lying all this while face
downward, and although by this time
weakened almost TO q state Of helpless
ness I used my left hand to feel the
taut rim Of the boa constructors jaws.
They were three full inches higher mp
my body than yester eve. The excite.
ment Of the night / had Just passed
through had exhausted my emotions,
and / remember that this sinister dis
covery awakened in me no sense of un-
easiness.
tried TO form some plan OF putting
an end to my existence; but my brain
refused to make connection between my
dim, disjointed flights Of thought. 1t
was NO longer equal TO the ~concentra-
tion Of o definite idea. ! was now be-
yond NIL active emotions. Once !
fancied I heard the cry Of some animal
or human being nea by; but ] was too
far gone TO pay any attention.
At last all seemed to be over with
me. It wa 81 though the darkness OF
night had gradually closed over me
again; q roaring noise in my ears con-
tinued for q while in the darkness, and
then al was silent. / had sunk into
the Inconsistencies Of complete exhaus-
tiOn.
/ remembered nothing more till ]
came to my senses again in our camp on
the river bank. A compile Of days nurs-
ing by Mnrilla brought me round SO that
I could sit mp and listen to his account
Of my rescue. The cry ! fancied ! heard
Just before sinking into Inconsistencies
was from Murilla. The effects of the
berries had kept him stupefied until the
dawn Of the second day, the close Of the
night 30 full of horrible experiences to
me. He hal awakened, weak and burn
ing with thirst. Rising up, he beheld
not . dozen yards away my head and
shoulders protruding from the mouth
Of . monster boa, whose scaly body lay
in serpentine lengths among the debris
Of decaying forest fungus.
Taking It for granted that I was dead,
and chilled with terror, he uttered the
Mortified cry which / had dimly heard,
and rushed away to camp Being an
expert woodman, he had no difficulty
in finding his way. The Indians had
about given US up for lost. They had
searched Tor us, but had never happened
10 visit the right place. Two were out
searching when we reached camp,
Trembling with weakness and terror, he
told the Indians the fate that had be
fallen us.
Returning with AXE and crocodile
spears the party attacked the boa
chopping him. completely in two just
below the bulge in his body caused by
my feet aud legs before he could es
cape. At the first blow Of the a. the
monster made spasmodic efforts to dis
gorge in order TO attack his assailants
He tried hard to escape, but the axes
were skillfully applied and he was rem
dered powerless.
Tho severed head and neck had to be
slit open before / could he released,
At first they thought / was dead, but
were soon rejoiced at discovering a lin
gering spark OF life. Carrying me Il
the camp, resuscitatiye remedies were
applied. and I was, a. you have seen
finally brought around.
In : few days my health was restored
sufficiently to start on our return jour
ney down the river; but my " mother
would have failed TO recognize me. NJ
hair, which wa = dark brown wEel
Murilla and I aat down to eat our luncl
Of hard-tack and venison, was o y
white Is the scant locks Of an old mar
Of 0O--as white as yon see it now. M,
nervous system had received a shocl
that left me Q victim Of nightmare ant
nervous fears and tremors for year
1 E ~ 49, s W. LL ~ -