The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-10-03
"A THRILLING STORY.
AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE IN THE
wIL0s OF CENTRAL AMERICA

/
observation-disclosures of the Wicked
Reptiles, Some a. Largo as Turtles.
Creep Out OF tho Grass.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26-In re-
cent number of the Examiner of this
city DR.. j. s. Davis, an extensive ex.
piorer 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 ad-
venture. The story in the Doctors
own words is as follows:
In the latter part OF May last 1 went
10 central America from San Francisco
ae tne request of the Munich Society
for Prehistorical Research, of which
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 tbey
belong. L got the clue l sought for
from some hieroglyphics among the
Conquestador ruins, which. according
10 my theory, are about So 20 years old,
put, OF course, absolute proof is not
available. l had as a guide a most
Intelligent half-breed, Manuel Besero
and he informed me that, according to
the traditions of his Indian progenitors,
there were some ruins of still greater
antiquity ITO 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
course by the Inhabitants of these same
ruins. Thinking that might possibly
lind some corroboration for my theory
among these earlier relics of the lost
race, l started to find them, accom-
panied by 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 of the fourth day
we camped in little opening, clear ex-
cept for grass. This was soon burned
off.
We had just finished supr er, and I
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 tae SFar cling cfaJ rcd yRI. Z, ,Seau- and
him, I noticed a curious. dull, indefinite
reddish line down his back. regretted
that had not the means to pre-, ,rve it,
but Manuel settled my regrets by
crushing 1t with a billet Of wood. It
had hardly ceased moving when an
other and equally Ian &c one al ,eared
at the other end of Il burned patch.
l did not fear them much, as / wore
heavy leather leggings, reaching to my
hips:
1--WE have made bad camp, Manuel"
l said, there seems to be many taran-
zone place is about as another" he
go by twos."
He 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 long branch.
He uncovered more of the great spi-
ders and killed them. When he turned
around there were fully half a dozen
or 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 m Jle
began to struggle and kick. He soon
broke his picket rope and disappeared.
Then became aware Of steady rust
ling in the grass. More tarantulas
came out.
II 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 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 1t was a squaw story. We
must tight them with fire."
lie seized flaming brand from the
campfire, and yelled to me to do like
wise. He 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 20.
Meanwhile the spiteful spiders be-
came more and more numerous.
crushed at least one of them every step
l took. Many of them bit at my leg
1
We turned our fir1-brands to crushing
the tarantulas. but they seemed to come
thicker than we could drive them off.
81 am bitten" heard the Indian
scream. passed him my flask. Icould
do nothing more for him. = Id, 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 everywhe. ;. noticed
that they were in the bushes and on the
grass, so high that my lpggings 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 the
bites.
1 could barely keep the tarantula.
from getting above my leggings. Sud
denly 1t occurred to me that might
find safety in one of the trees. I knew
that / would soon be exhausted IL
remained among the black beasts. ant