The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-11

caught at the end of one of the lower
branches, and seizing this l drew myself
out of the current, M reaching up found
another still larger bough near me, and so
from one to another | climbed as we'll as
my soaking garments would allow.
The moon now went out behind the gath
.ering clouds and left the scene in profound
darkness, and l could only imagine the hor-
rors about me, and so when presently my
hand touched something clammy and cold
I could not at first identify it's nature, but
when it moved along the branch in a slow,
'sinuous movement l guessed at once the
fearful character of the creature occupying
that tree with me. But l had no time to
do more than recoil from this horror in the
dark when l felt another drop from some.
where over my head and land on my bare
neck. l reached up and caught the long
shape by the tail and with a jerk flung it
out into the water, and as I did so I was
sensible of a third crawling on the other
arm, by which I still held to the tree. I
%shuddered with real terror, for l knew this
low country was infested with the most
venomous varieties of the rattl snake and
the big green water moccasin, but there
were only the two courses open to me-to
keep perfectly passive under the reptiles
PdtS.taSS ~ my poty d11o III ~ DTONOkS
them to an attack, when my fate would be
sealed. or to face death at once by dropping
off the tree into the black food swirling be-
meath.
Il resolved to take the first chance and
steeled myself to endure the touch of the
hideous creatures that, attracted by the
warmth of my body, gathered about me.
There were snakes all about me, above, be-
meath me, hanging from the boughs, swing
ing lightly to and fro, crawling I'D and
down the portion Of the oak that still re-
manned above the surface of the water.
grew sleepy finally, but l knew that to
give up to my drowsiness would b. death,
for if l fell into the water the %alligators
would not leave even my bare bones to tell
the story of my fate, while if l held on in
st!nctlNely even in my sleep the least un-
guarded movement would he to excite the
snakes into attacking my defenseless body. |
80, shuddering and sick at heart, l
waited for the dawning of day, for the
hours in that tree seemed each to be a
week. At last day broke sullenly.over as
extraordinary a scene as ever human ewes
looked upon. The entire town was gone.
swept from the face of the earth as com
pletely as though it had never existed, and
rolling back out to sea was the tidal wave
That had wrought this devastation, leaving
in trees and bushes CHASTITY relics of its
power.
AS the day grew warmer the snakes
gradually left me and dropped heavily
down into the pools left still, and after an
hour or two saw boat after boat coming
Town the river on errands of mercy to the
living and dead. hailed the rowers soon
and was taken aboard, where l was given a
blanket and some whisky, and presently
WIS able to go on with the rescuing party.
And as for snakes | then saw more of them
than any one would suppose there were in
the world. The receding waters had left
them in the dip of the ground, and often
we had to stop to shake them off of the oars
before we could go on"