Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-10-25

q 81 y a. attt44HhAl&- E4e1 were eItiAl&ll \
nxsd On me. fiis eiack forkea teagas
qaiserei CT IN front interestingly.
and eseFy few keeonds be interraDtei
his hiszsag % bite aereely forward az
nae. vim his terrible Jaws openea 10
their wsfest extent b. degrees thvs
dres hlm sway entirely from Pedro
and over the opea gravel
ALTERNATELY ID would dash madly
az ne and then gather himself anew
for snother spring. Slowly he was
/ following me. while I retrested- Al
ever attack his powerful tail wonla
suish throagh the loose gravel send
ING the dry sast ia yellowish clouds
about himself Now that he was far
enough away, ] gave the word 20
fedro % tanap mp aud eut . good
sired pole IN the thicket With this
We ootA managed 70 press down his
neck, planning him firmly to the
ground. upon which he tried yainly
10 tarn aud bite the offending wood.
and twisted hinself around IL right
uP % our very hands. Quickly At my
call the other hunters came TO oar an
sisianee aud while they held ON. some
% The pole and sons To the snake, 1
myself eaaght him hrnly. Just a. Pedro
had done before. around the neck with
ooeh hsnds- Now tha- had him by
the head, Pedro by the tail and some
others by the middle. we soon got him
loose from the pole. and in triumph
bore him on homewards through the
forest; for none of the bags we had
withus was anything like large enough
10 stow him in
For a. we moved onward through
the forest Ia procession with our prize
every obstacle In the way became a
new source Of difiieuity. The matted
thiclsets of thorny palms pricked us In
the faces aud arms rs we passed and
irritated the snake so that he struggled
fiereely for freedom Some who had
held on % him even let 60 their holds.
and repeatedly ne gave US infinite
trouble by getting small turns Of his
body half around stout branches and
saplings that rubbed against him.
The tangles of vines too. so freqnentiy
tripp-d us up.sthat before we went
very far we were almost completelv
tired out. and had unwiliingiy TO de-
wise another method OF transporting
him.
We stopped to rest In an open SPOT
where there lay remnant OF a pros
trate tree about twenty feet long and
eighteen inches I'm diameter. with its
interior entirely followed out by the
combined work of natural decay and
wood-boring insects- Itwas suggested
that, IL one end of the cavity was
stopped up. we could allow our captive
TO glide into IL, and then having closed
mp The other end also carry him home
on our shoulders. for the whole frag-
ment was as dry rs finder and not
heavier than so much cork. According
~. having plugged up one end with
bundles Of vines and leaves tightly
wadded in, we got the snake To enter
readily by releasing his head in the |
mouth of the open end and scratching
him vigorously about the tail. because /
he thought he was escaping into the
darkness OF the interior As we were /
stopping mp the second end in a similar
manner To the first. and so securing
the Kissing prisoner within. we no. |
tieed some small ants making their
appearance through the interstices.
but, being 80 taken with the success of
our expedient, didn't pay much atten-
ton Ia them at the time. As soon.
however. as we took the burden on our
shoulders the efforts OF the imprisoned
serpent became frantic for escane
with the result that his writings dis
turbed whole colony of the terrible
lire ants" in the interior, which.
'warming in millions through every
rack and creviee, covered our necks 4
and shoulders. getting down between
pur clothing apd our skins, singing
md biting us with such fury that ST
we dropped our load and
'egan to tear off our clothing as fast
Is possible to rid ourselves of our
ormentors This was not the worst
ither, for the frail receptacle
n which we carried our prisoner
mashed to pieces with the fall. and
iberated the tortured occupant on the
pen ground in the midst OF Us. scat
ering the ants about for Yards on
very side. Well arc these insect de-
nons named fire ants" for their
tings burn like red-hot needles points
riven into the flesh. Nor could the
nfortunate snake withstand them
ny more than ourselves. or he scurried
hrough the woods with all the energy
e could muster. Pedro. who had been
eiailed TO carry the belongings of the
est of us. and so escaped the ants.
ropped HIS burdens and pursued the
nnaway. shouting to Us to follow him }
18th all HIS might Anyone who has I
vperienced the tormcnts OF these ter
BILE insects viii well understand our
tier neglect of bis appeals for aid.
ar necks and shoulders felt IL they I
nj been roasted with burning fire.
nj ten minutes must have fully |
apsed before we could shake the
ST OF the pestilent insects from our Z
Tested garments. When. finally. ,,
18th scaiding skins we did try TO join :
the pursuit. we met Pedro coming .
owly back with his clothing torn 10 4
reds. and his face and hands bleed >
= from a hundred thorn wounds He !,