The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-08-08
SERPENTS
Adventure With Boas. the Reptile
That Menaced the Army DUR
Ing the Siege Of
Carthage.

From the New York Ledger.
Among the giants, the great snakes Mt
tract o attention mot only on account OF
their sine. but the enormous powers they
evince. Some years g o friend OF the
writer was making q Tour of India, stop
ping at many Of the small towns and viii
lagos. Al n place his servant reported
that a big boa had secreted himself In q
hole in the wall and requested him to
send for the snake charmers and get rid
of the brute; but the white man, who was
an old hunter, proposed to remove the
enemy In his own fashion.
Inserting his arm i'm the crevice he soon
found the tail Of the snake, and amid a
vast amount of hissing and squirming he
pulled the greater part OF its body out,
upon which the servants ran away.
Finally the neck appeared, and, taking o
flrmer grasp upon the tail, he jerked Il
out and Immediately began TO swing the
great reptile around, i'm this why keeping
the body out straight and preventing It's
coiling about his body. Gradually he
moved away, whirling the serpent round
and oundu until finally he dashed It's bead
violently against n tree and killed it,
Almost every country has its legend OF
enormous ~serpents. Every boy remem-
bers the tale OF the huge snake that was n
merface TO the army OF Attilus Regulus
when II was marching on Carthage. The
old Roman historians stated that the
monster a to be killed by military en-
gines which threw stones, and that when
killed II was taken to Rome, where its
skin was found to measure 10 feet in
length. Even Pliny speaks OF this SER
| pent, which was of course, at least as re-
CARDS length. q myth:
II is believed that the giant Of the snake
tribe Is about forty feet in length, one of
this size hayi ing been captured in Guiana
after a fierce struggle. A man was taking
| care of n boat while his comrades were In
the woods, and, CHANGING to fall asleep,
he was aroused by feeling something COLI
touch his fee Opening his eyes he found
an enormous serpent across the boat, with
every appearance of intending to dine
upon him. As IL happened, there was n
gun at hand; SO, Rrasping II, the sailor
fired tho contents into the snakes head,
| and while il dashed about in horrible con-
tortions he pushed the boat out into the
stream.
The snake tore down small trees. broke
great boughs In its efforts to escape, n
finally disappeared. When the crew re-
turned a party was made up to follow th.
reptile, and IL was finally discovered half
a mile away, and dispatched by a blow on
the head, given by a courageous native.
A gentleman living in Manila describes
n serpent, which he had i'm an inclosure,
estimated at 80 feet, its body being as big
around as that of a large man.
A 3O-foot python once killed a man on
the coast of Celebes. As i'm the case pre-
viously mentioned, a sailor was left upon
the parks of q river and fell asleep. As
his friends were returning they heard
shrieks, and FASTENED on to find him in
the folds OF q monster python that had en-
veloped and literally crushed him to
death.
Penang was in former times famous for
its snakes, and n python killed here by n
convict on the o to Telo kumbar was
found to measure % feet i'm length.
These are giants, but how insignificant
they appear compared TO the reptiles.
snake-like in appearance, of olden times
In the cretaceous period the world was
populated with a race OF giants, all forms
seemingly have developed TO enormous
dimensions.
One strange creature. known as the
elasmosaurus, ranged up to seventy feet
in length, nearly thirty Of which were "a
long, slender neck resembling a snake.
This wonderful creature lived i'm q sea
which covered what is now known as Kan
sas, and biologists find it's remains where
It was stranded thousands of years ago.
One giant was discovered by his head and
flashing teeth exposed on a knoll. the sur
rounding soil having been washed away.
BY removing the earth the head was
traced to the body by the bones of the
neck, and the entire skeleton finally un.
covered.
Imagine a snake 20 feet long, its central
body or portion very much enlarged, with
q tail and neck attenuated and small.
sn,ae srhs I;ra ,hosa WI pa sna q ndPpers