The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-10-01

All IEuliH lS0LCn AllSc Dy an Army Oh
Tarantulas-Thorsands OF the Wicked
Reptiles, Some as Largo as Turtles,
Creep Out OF the Grass.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26.-In a re-
cent number Of the Examiner Of this
city DR.. j. S. Davis, al extensive ex-
plorerSsays he has just returned from
"a expedition into the interior of Yu-
catan and Compeache, during which he
met with an awful and unusual ad-
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
ain member, to Investigate the an
cient ruins which cover that country,
with view of obtaining, if possible.
some clue to tho period to which they
belong. l got the clue I sought for
from scme hieroglyphics among the
ConQacStador ruins, which. according
to my theory, are about 5000 years old,
but. Of course, absolute proof is Got
available. I had as L guide a most
intelligent helf-breed, Manuel Besero.
and he informed me that, according to
the traditions Of his Indian prcgen.Sors,
there We're some ruins Of still greater
antiquity ITO miles to the Northward, |
near the Rio Seca. Indeed, he said, |
that this dry basin was once the bed of !
river that had been turned from it's |
course by the Inhabitants Of these same
ruins. Thinking that l might possibly
find some corrohoration for my theory |
among these earlier relics OF the lost |
race, l started to find them, accom-
panied hy my faithful guide 1t was
very hard travelling through iejuneles
and we made hardly fifteen miles day.
The difficulties were multiplied by the
enormous number CT snakes and poison
ons insects that infest this section. We
lost one Of our pack mules through
bite or q sting Of some sort on the third
day.
On the afternoon OF the fourth day
we camped in a little opening, clear ex-
cept for grass. This was soon burned
of.
We had just finished supp er, and I
was sitting at the base of 4 tree smok-
ing my pipe when an enormous tarap-
tula came out of the grass into the
cleared circle. He was positively the
largest specimen had ever seen, and
as the slanting rays of the sun caught
him, noticed 4 curious, dull, indefinite
reddish line down his back. regretted
that had not the means to preserveit
but Manuel settled my regrets by
crushing it with billet of wood. It
had hardly ceased moving when an
other and equally large one appeared
at the other end of the burned patch.
| did not fear them much. as I wore
heavy leather leggings, reaching to my
hips.
"We have made bad camp, Manuel"
l said, there seems to be many taran-
tulas.'
"One place is abclt as another" he
answered in Spanish. They usually
60 by twos."
Heappeared more troubled, however,
than his careless answer seemed to in
dlcate, and while killed the second un-
welcome visitor he began to poke
around in the grass with a long branch.
He uncovered more of the 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 mule
began to struggle and kick. He soon
broke his picket rope and disappeared
Then l became aware of steady rust
ling in the grass. More tarantulas
came out. !.
Il have heard Of it from the Indians"
cried my guide. "It is the devils army. ,
They say that the people who lived in
the dead cities we're 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 sQuaw story. We
must fight them with fire"
lie seized flaming brand from the i
campfire, and yelled to me to Go like
wise. He tried to fire the grass on all
sizes Of Us. but where the trees grew it
was too rank and wet, and the fires we
started would not go.
Meanwhile the spitefrl 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 firc-hrands to crushing
the tarantulas. bat they seemed to come +,
thicker than we could drive them off.
II am bitten" I heard the Indian
scream. ipaSsed him nay flask. Iconld
DO nothing more for him. and, dropping /
my stick, started 10 run. Every step
into the grass seemed to bring me into
worse quarters. l tried every direction,
but they seemed everywhere. noticed
that they were in the bushes and Oh the
grass, so high that my leggings would
not protect me, and presently found
myself back at the camp. There, at
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 oyer him. He seemed crazy,
and have no doubt his mind was near
ly gone with terror ana the pain of the
bites.
/ could barely keep the tarantllas
from getting above my leggings. Sud
denly it occurred to me that might
find safety in one Of the trees. I knew
that | would soon be exhausted If
remained among the black beasts, and |
that would end it. In moment had
my arms about small tree. l crushed
the insects that clung to my segs
against the bark as | dragged and
scrambled up. A dozen feet from the
ground there was branch from which
we had hung some small game | had