The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-10-03
"A THRILLING STORY.
AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE IN THE
WILDS OF CENTRAL AMERICA.

!
Creep Out OF tho Grass.
SAN Francisco, Sept. 26.-In re-
cent number of the Examiner Of this
city DIR. j. S. Davis, an extensive ex,
plorer says he has just returned from
an expedition into the interior of Yu.
catan and Compeache, during which he
met with an awful and unusual al.
venture. The story in the Doctors
own words is as follows:
In the latter part OF May last went
To Central America from San Francisco
at the request of the Munich Society
for Prehistorical Research, of which l
am member, to investigate the an
clent ruins which cover that country.
with view of obtaining, if possible.
some clue to tho period to which they
belong. | got the clue | sought for
from some hicroglyphics among the
Conquestador ruins, which. according
10 my theory, are about 81 " years old,
Dut, OF course, absolute proof Is not
available. l had as guide Il most
Intelligent half-breed, Manuel Bescro.
and he Informed me that, according to
the traditions of his Indian progenitors,
there were some ruins of still greater
antiquity no miles to the Northward,
near the Rio SEGA. Indeed, he said
that this dry basin was once the bed of
a river that mad been turned from its
hn n h0l l,i f.v 20. 6
ruins. Thinking that l might possibly
find some corroboration for my theory
among these earlier relics of the lost
race, | started to find item, accom-
panied 10y my faithful guide. 1t was
very hard travelling through the jungles
and We made hardly fifteen miles day.
The difficulties were multiplied by the
enormous number Of snakes and poison
GUS insects that infest this section We
lost one of our pack mules through a
bite or sting of some sort on the third
day.
On the afternoon or the fourth day
we camPad in little opening, clear eY-
cept for grass. This was soon burned
Off
We had just finished SUPP er, and
was sitting at the base of tree smOk-
ing my pipe when an enormous taran-
tnla came out of the grass into the
cleared circle. He was positively the
as TIE 'sTar cin,sr ra5 I'eal .4I. e .seau. aaa
him, noticed a curious, dun, indefinite
reddish line down his back. Iregretted
that | had not the means to pre-. ,rve it.,
but Manuel settled my regrets by
crushing it with a billet OF wood. It
had hardly ceased moving when an
other and equally lMge one Il, ,eared
at the other end of Il e burned patch.
/ did not fear them much, as | wore
heavy leather leggingS, reaching to my
hips.
1--WE have made a bad camp, Manuel"
| saids there seems TO be many taran-
tulas."
"One place IS about as another" he
answered In Spanish. "They usually
go by twos."
lie appeared more troubled, however,
than his careless answer seemed to in
dicate, and while killed the second un-
welcome visitor he began to poke
around In the grass with q long branch.
He uncovered more of tire great spi-
ders and killed them. When he turned
around there were fully half dozen
of them in the cleared space. They
fastened on the dead ones and seemed
to suck their blood.
1--WE must get out of this" screamed
the Indian.
At this moment our remaining II Ile
began to struggle and kick. He soon
broke his picket rope and disappeared.
Then | became aware Of a steady rust
ling in the grass. More tarantulas
came out.
81 have heard Of it from the Indians
cried my guide. ut is the devils army.
They say that the people who lived in
the dead cities were killed by them, and
that no one can live there. They come
by thousands, like red ants, and leave
nothing alive where they pass.
thought it was a squaw story. We
must fight them with fire.
lie SclZed flaming brand from the
campfire, and yelled TO me to do like.
wise. lie tried to fire the grass on all
sides of us. but where the trees grew it
was too rank and wet, and the fires we
started would not go.
Meanwhile the Spiteful spiders be-
came more and more numerous. |
crushed at least one of them every step
! took. Many of them bit at my leg
gings. and hung there by their fangs
we turned our iir.-brands to crushing
the tarantulaS. but they seemed to come
thicker than we could drive them off.
Il am bitten" | heard the Indian
scream. passed him my flask. Icould
do nothing more for him. " I'd, dropping
my stick, | started to run. Every step
into the grass seemed to bring me into
worse quarters. tried every direction
but they sc, med eyerywhe.. :. | noticed
! that they were in the bushes and on the
grass, so high that my leggings would
not protect me-, and presently | found
! myself back at the camp. There, al
/ least. they could not reach me without
climbing up. The ground was perfect
( ly black with them. Poor Manuel was
down on his knees and the great insects
were all over him. He seemed crazy
/ and have no doubt his mind was near
! ly gone with terror and the pain Of tho
bites.
1 could barely keep the tarantula,
from getting above my leggings. Sud
denly it occurred to me that | nigh
find safety in one of the trees. | knew
that | would soon be exhausted if
remained among the black beasts. an,
that would end it. In moment | III
my arms about small tree. crushtt
the insects that clung to my leg
against the bark as | dragged ant
scrambled up. y dozen feet from tn,