News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-10
THE SERPENT'S BITE.
A NaturaIist's Fearful Experience in
a Southern Forest.

GoQu6u DY Possibility Ol LuGoGluS Ills
majesty the 60 Diamond back, have
made it rule to exercise all needful
caution in forcing my way through pal
metto scrubs and dense grown thickets,
his favorite haunts, and in addition to
the heavy leggins [ constantly wore, ]
never took the field without having
with me the antidotes considered by
taxiderm1sts the ones most likely to
effect cure.
Thus my snake box" as L call it,
and to which L undoubtedly owe my life,
contained lance an easily adjustable
ligature, a hypodermic syringe, and a
small vial filled with the prescribed per
cent. solution of permanganite of pot
ash. 1t is, perhaps, unnecessary to add
I was amply provided with the popular
remedy known as snake poison.
Thus armed, for years I-had followed
my favorite pursuits, meeting occasion
ally venomous reptiles, and havinr, it is
true, several rather narrow escapes, but
until day of which l am about to write
arrived I had never been bitten by them.
1t was dilicious 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 the perfume of flowers,
Mounted on favorite pony, / had rid
den to tes hummock at the border of
the lake, and here tied him, dismount-
ing to wander at will in search of the
specimens 1 desired. The path was
comparatively open, and in 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, moved slightly
forward in order to obtain a more ad-
vantageous position from which to OBJ
serve it. A fallen tree lay across the
path, and l thoughtlessly stepped upon
it to pass over, when tho sound of the
warning rattle fell upon my ear, and
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; tho threatened danger above
him, rendered rattle ard strike almost
and with horror | felt the
blow upon my ankle,
There is a blank here, my mind was
in o whirl, and it is difficult for me 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 as he fell
from me, the charge striking his head
and blowing it literally into Thousand
atoms.
With O sickening sense of fear, L
hastily tore off my useless leggings; my
loose hunting trousers were quickly
rolled to the knee. Hope was almost
Ho T In 20
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
thought with lightning-like ra-
pidity. Could retain possession of my
senses, repeatedly asked myself, long
enough to employ the remedies with
which I was provided!
Drawing my flask 1 swallowed half
It's contents ms though it were water,
then with trembling hand took from my
pocket my "snake box," and extracted
1 lance, made without finching, deep
ncision across the fang marks; the
blood gushed forth, but far from caus-
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 Mt any
other time, would have occasioned alarm.
The ready igature was now placed
above the wound and tightened; the
syringe filled with tho prescribed ten
drops and injected into and about the
wound, the flask agai resorted to.
My feelings during this period l can
not adequately describe, and I shudder
even now when I recall the almost para
yzing sense of fear which possessed me.
While the application of the antidotes,
&C., in reality occupied very
few minutes, certainly less than five
from the moment / was struck, it
seemed to me / lived years, and [ expe-
rienced in full the sensation of the
drowning man, here prolonged to mad
dening degree, my life history passing
through my mind in q surging thought,
long g-forgotten incidents returning viv-
idly and following each other with a
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 l had done all i'll my power, the
mental stimulus of self preservation 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 stilling the severity of
my suffering once, twice, l 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 q
portion to pursue its natural course and
enter my system the accession, too, of
pure blood in the pois-
oned Iart prevented the appearance of
gangrene which too long impression
was sure to cause.
A third time 1 essayed to arrange il,
but the execution was more than could
bear, and as it loosened in my grasp,
frightful sense of suffoca-
ton, a 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
had fallen and all was dark. Istretched
out my hand, and it fell across the
shiny body of the serpent beside me,
recalling the events of the afternoon,
and as the thought that 1 had survived
them slowly took shape and became q
reality, feeling of devout thanksgiving
arose in my heart, and, lying there upon
my back, the soft, southern, moonlight
stealing through the trees above upon
me, I was possessed with n Joy so ecstat-
ic that for a few moments l remained
there passively content with the glorious
lived.
The urgency of returning to appease
the anxiety of my friends now forced
itself upon me. [ WAS very weak, the
loss of blood and toxic effect of the ser
pent's venom had robbed me of every
particle of strength, and only after sew
eral attempts did manage to reach my
feet. Then leaning on my gun for sup
port, for / was still very weak, walked
to my faithful little pony,
whose whinny of welcome as he saw me
was sweet music to my ears.
Painfully mounting [ threw the rein
across his neck. He seemed almost to
understand my condition, for he picked
hls.way very carefully, but notwthstand-
ing his caution the exertiOn proved toe
much for me, and when, after what
seemed an endless ride, we reached
home. only his low neigh of hunger
brought assistance to the door, for was
too weak to call or even think of at
tempting to enter the house unaided.
Tenderly lifting me from the saddle
they carried me within. An examina-
tion rendered unnecessary the explana
tion / could not then make. A physi
clnn WAS at once summoned, whose treat
ment completed the cuIe l had com-
menced, and in few weeks time there
was left of my experience only q scar