The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-16
SHOOTING \ sNAKs.
A Very Lively Episode in q Telegraph
Office.

ONCE.
NEW YORK, Nov. A-"T'ye done plenty
Of shooting in my time, sure enough, ssid
Maj. NJ, "and in good many different
styles, too. I've had some lively sport
aboard transport in the Pacific peppering
at a crew of mutiuous Lascars from the
deckhouse-the captain and two mates and
| against fifty Of the darkies. I've potted
six Zulus with my revolver as fast as
could fire over q barricsdR Of biscuit boxes,
and I've shot a mad dog through n folding
screen, which was the only thing that
could get between us
Il think, however, that one OF the liveli-
est bits of sport ever had was pretty near
ly my first, and that wasn't in the jungle
at ALL but inside of telegraph oficel
when / first came out 30 India was
sent of at once TO q miserable little up
country station in the northeast Of Bengal,
which Qike the Italian village that con-
sisted of church. tavern and a PRISON.
seemed to have nothing in it but our bar
racks and a telegraph Office. The bar
rack, as usual, was in the worst and most
unwholeSome place that could be found
for it; but the telegraph Office wasn't much
better, for it stood right over big swamp,
jam full of bushes and long reeds-a giori-
Gus place for mosquitoes, and for ever, too.
as afterward found ont 70 my cost.
well, one morning ! had to send OF
telegram the very first thing 20 fellow in
Calcutta who was managing some busi-
ness for me. Away few TO the Office. and
as got near it head a queer kind of
humping sound inside, just like some one
striking plank with heavy mallet.
II knew the place wasn't being repaired,
so made sure it must be some fun of the
telegraph clerk, who was a lsrky young
fellow, and thought so all the more when,
just as came up TO the door Of the outer
Office. the noise suddenly ceased.
:" If that young scamp plays any tricks
upon me I'll punch his head thought
tthe young scamp being year Older than
myself, by the by. And up went to the
plgeonhole - which was standing wide
open-and called out very fiereely:
Give me out form, and look sharpP
1.-THE answer to my demand was hiss
Is loud and sharp as a steam whistle, and
out through the pigeonhole came. within
a few inches of my face. the head Of q
laundering big boa constructor!
1.-THE backward leap that l gave to the
other side of the room would have made
the fortune of an acrobat. The mysterious
humping that l had heard was fully ex-
planned now; for, however the brute had
got in, it was plain that he couldn't get
out, and he w&s hammering the woodwork
with his tail to try and force his way
through Luckily the room was too small
to give him space for the full swing of his
blows, or he'd have had the whole place
down like house of cards in two minutes.
but seeing that he couldn't get more
than his head and neck through the hole
plucked up courage, and was just getting
out my revolver when a horrid thought
struck me. Where was the clerk? | knew
he always came down at daybreak, and If
the snake had caught him there he was a
dead man.
Il think the pleasantest sound / ever
heard WIS the unlocking of the inner door
at that moment, for by good luck the clerk
was late for once. Then | heard him give
a loud halloo of amazement. and no won
der, for it might well surprise him to find
a snake ten yards long managing the Office
in his absence
lis that you, LAMBERT shouted /.
Stand clear, for I'm going TO fire at him.
Ali right says he Blaze away, and
if you don't kill him III 90 for his tail
with the wood Ratchet
$50 | slapped all my six barrels into the
brute's ugly head, and one ball went right
through it and smashed the glass behind,
which they didn't forget to make me pay
Tor afterward. But | did the old cork
screws business for him, and his stuffed
skin adorned our messroom for many
day after labeled A Caution TO Snakes"
DAVID Kerr