River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-09-17

a man who had a long story before
+ him; ''and so you may think what
time 7 had when | first came out to
Bengal, where they're as thick as pease
in the wet season. / haven't forgotten
yet what scare l got one morning.
when l found a big fellow snugly
coiled up right under my bath, just as
| was going to step into it; and how
ever carefully my servants might have
overhauled my bed. l never turned in
without going through the whole bust
ness myself all over again. for fear of
| finding snake curled up between the
sheets or under the pillow.
Il got so nervous about it at last
that, as if it wasn't enough to light up
on real snake at every corner, | be
gan to imagine them even where there
weren't any at all One morning,
awalxing earlier than usual. |
thought saw a small green one crawl
| ing over the chair on which / had laid
my clothes: and, after all, it turned ont
to be nothing more than the green
book-marker of my diary hanging out
of my coat pocket
/ another time a Factions chum of
mine amused himself by putting an
india-rubber tube into one of my
boots, and I-of course taking it for a
snake-nearly stamped out the boot
sole in trying to crush it, to the great
delight of the other fellows. In short,
so long as my snake fever lasted l was
regular nuisance to myself and every
one about me.
/ After awhile, however, / began to
/ get over it and not to bother my head
about these indigenous creepers' at
all; but / wasn't to get off without a
genuine snake adventure, and a pretty
exciting one, too, as you shall hear
''One sultry afternoon l was lying in
my hammock in the veranda, eating
fruit and biscuits flor it was too hot
to do anything elsel, when all at
once saw a little, sharp-nosed,
bright eyed creature covered with
smooth hair-like a sort of cross be-
tween bandicoot rat and squirrel
come creeping along the floor.
Il threw it a bit of banana. and at
first it seemed startled and male as if
it would run away: but presently it
turned back again and snapped up the
fruit, which it seemed to approve of
highly. | gave it another bit. and
then piece of biscuit. and by degrees
it began To get more familiar and APP
peared quite inclined to make friends.
But just then one of my men came
running across the courtyard and the
sound of his footsteps scared it away.
1.-THE next day, however, it came
back again; and by this time it seemed
to have quite got over its first shyness,
and took readily enough whatever
gave it. After we mad been on visiting
terms for two or three days, Tommy
las l had named my fourfooted chuml
got to be so friendly that he would
climb up on TO my hammock or chair,
and let me stroke him and hold him n
my hand. just as if he'd been kitten.
got to be quite fond of him at last.
just about that time | managed
somehow or other to catch low
fever which, though it wasn't what
you'd call dangerous left me as weak
as water. In fact, for three or four
days | couldn't even raise myself in
bed without help.
We'll. one day-it'll he long enough
before / forget it, had seat away the
native boy who used To sit beside me,
telling him ] was going to have nap.
1t was the very hottest time Of the day,