The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-01-10
Life and Death with 2 Snake

A Scotchman thus relates q stirring
incident that occurred upon the lsthmus
of Panama: 1.-The day was melting.
The path was shady, and runs through
a grove of mango bushes, and being
fond O. the fruit l picked and ate till |
could eat no longer, when what should
dart down from the tree, full at my face,
but one of those nasty black constric-
tors. Luckily l put up my right hand
and catched him by the neck before he
had time to bite. 1 knew the vcrmin
wcel, and had shot plenty o them, and,
to tell the real truth, their hugs waur
Than their bite, for they don't belong to
the poisonous kind. But they are fash
ious enough for all that, forif they come
to close grips it takes a pretty outchicl
to untwist them. Wccl, as ! had the
vcrmin safe by the neck, ! didna fash
myself very much, beyond wonderin'
whathcr l would Kill him OF take him
home alive. Mind We, all the time he
was dabbin' an dabbin' at me wi that
forked tongue O his glintin' in and out
O his ugly mouth, like the telegraph
needles. Kill him, thinks /. But first
to swing him off, for by this time he
had the grip, and wasna like to yield.
0 on found that there were twa to that
game. Try as l might, my gentleman
would not bulge an inch. l tried my
: full strength, but ma. | cried to Jennie
to fetch something, for l was not far of
. the station, but she never heard. | was
beginning not to like the way things
, were going, for the beast was grippin
1 aye the closer, and the arm that hcl(
him was getting tired. Besides, tho
grip was round the other arm, which
: could only move below the elbow. Tho
+ beast was coiled over my left shoulder
+ then round under my right arm, and
then across my waist, binding, as I've
told you, my left arm. If once l let go
s 1 knew he would strangle me, and IL
tell the truth, L could not hold out much
s longer. I always carried a knife, whicl
q I knew was in the pocket of the flannel
shirt I was wearing, and my only chance
lay in getting at it. I could just reacl
y it by bending my left arm, and I daurn;
l. let 60 to the right. And as l fumbl't i
gave me a terrible turn to find that thu
vermin had steekit my pocket as firm a:
r If it had been sewn up. My right wris
was getting weaker and weaker will
holding the snake, and faith the con
I strictor knew it as he girned and hisseC
at me, and darted fire o these ugly eel
O. his. was sair left to mysel. Thinks
!, Mac, you've got your match at last.
O l didna care SO much for my chest, TO
all his cuddlin': but my throat, one
round that, and l would have said, Mac
ye're a dead man! All this time tn
vermin was trying to get to my throat
and as 1 found him winding up, tn
perspiration broke over me. What wa
to become O the wife and Jennie, ant
a me ava? That vas an anxious thoch
to me at the time. Weel, just as m,
Il gentleman was working for my throa
wi his coils, he gave my pocket the slip
and left it free. Ifelt my arm GROWN!
strong again. Feel for the knife now
r Mac says l to myself, and in tw'
cracks it was in my hand. Then bend
ing my head to meet my hand-I know
y the brute thocht l was done-I u~nclasp
ed the gully with my teeth, and in al
instant after it was slipped in between
him and my body, with the edge turnc'
out"