Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-03-22
A Snake Story.

EiSnt years ago Cook u TRIP up |
the real Father of Waters" the
Amazon, from Para to the mouth of
the Putumayo river, and then on
three hundred miles up that stream
into eastern Ecuador.
From Para to Bana there is a very
respectable steamboat line. Be-
yond the latter place | proceeded
by means of small trading steam
er, a boat very closely akin to
Missouri river "sidewheeler."
A jolly young Englishman, bear
ing the uncommon name of Smith,
and myself made up the list of pas
sengers; the crew consisted of half
a dozen negroes and nestizoes, with
French captain and an Irish engi-
neer. The Englishman was fresh
from the Paraguan Pampas, and
while there, had learned to throw
the lasso, but for which little ac-
complishment this story would have
never been written.
No stream in the world contains
a tenth as much life as the Amazon.
Gigantic turtles, fish in endless va
riety, two species of crocodiles and
perhaps fifty of lizards, some of
them six feet long, waterfowl
from six foot flamingoes to six inch
jacanos, and last, but not least by a
very considerable, snakes of all
lengths up to twenty-five foot ana
condas.
On the morning of the second
day after leaving Bana, Smith and |
were leaning lazily against the rail,
watching the endless variety of life
in both water and air, below and
around us, when a large tree came
drifting down the stream. AS it
neared us we saw that it also car
ried passenger. An anaconda that
looked to be fully twenty-five feet
long, was lying among the branches.
Near us lay a coil of small rope,
one end being tied to a ring attach
eb by a staple to the deck.
AS the tree and boat approached
each other, the snake raised its
head and calmly returned our stare.
Just as it came opposite us and not
more than thirty or forty feet dis
tant, Smith noticed the coil
of rope. In an instant he had
made moose on the end, gave it a
whirl or two around his head and
threw it at the snake. The moose
settled around his neck as nicely
as could be desired, and, in an in
slant, the anacond a was jerked into
the water. This little pleasantly
evidently made him mad, for, af-
ter trying for few minutes to twist
or writhe himself free, he suddenly
started for the boat, and, on reach
ing it, came on board by the aid Of
ropes and chains that hung along
it's sides, and then-but no words
can give any idea of what followed
Captain and crew were alike paraly-
zed with fear. French oaths, and
negro and nestizo prayers to half a
dozen divinities filled the air.
My Winchester and Smiths En-
field were both in the little cuddy
hole in the forward part of the
boat that we slept in, and the only
available weapons possessed by the
crew were their machetes which
they could not have used effectually
against such game, even if they
had not been frightened out of
their senses.
To get at our rifles would have
necessitated stepping squarely over
the snake, as he had stretched him
self almost entirely across the deck,
and neither of us were in "high-
stepping" mood just then.
For perhaps two or three minutes
his snakeship lay quietly at full
length taking in" his new surround
ings, and if he had possessed the
slightest sense Of a ludicrous he
would have been intensely amused.
The captain and three of the crew
were perched on the wheel-house,
another made desperate effort to
climb the hot smoke stack, but
after persisting until the air was
reeking with the smell of burnt
niger, gave it up, and tried to gain
a place on the overcrowded Wheel
house, and the rest got into one
small boat, that threatened to break
from its davits and spill them all
into the river,-all bowling in con-
cert.
After the anaconda had seen all
he cared to of the circus on deck, he
suddenly glided down the ladder
leading to the engine room. Its
occupant, the Hiberian engineer,
had replenished his fires few min