Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-08-15
A CA MP AIGN NJ EBTIN G
DIFFERENT KIND, BUr
ALMOST AS LIVELY
AS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Exciting Battle Between Two
Big BoaS i'll Brazil-Old
Dollar-a-FOOt Tells
the Story.
The Chicago Times.

WV - NN><''
the Story.
The Chicago Times.
"Brazil is the home Of the most
gigantic boa constructors in the
world" said Henry Closer, of Ne
cropolis, Ohio, the professional
snake hunter and dealer, known TO
circus and museum managers
throughout the country as Big
Doc" and "Old Dollar a Foot"
that being his market price for or
dinarY snakes.
Son my last trip to Brazil after
snakes l didn't meet with the sue
cess 1 expected to, but 1 brought
back one of the best snake stories
that ever came from the land of
serpents.
Il was out taking a business look
around after some rare specimens
of monkeys. I had chased choice
long-tailed fellow up a tree and was
trying my wiles on him, when |
was startled by loud Kissing
sound that came from another part
of the forest, like gust of wind
escaping from some narrow space.
I looked in the direction Of the
sound, and to my surprise saw two
enormous boas on the ground, lock-
ed together and writhing and twist
ing in such a desperate struggle
that big punches of leaves were
sent flying about in the air as if
they had been disturbed and lifted
by whirlwind. Then it was that
groaned aloud and metaphorically
kicked myself because I had not
gone forth loaded for snake, for /
would have corraled both of those
-gigurtt o-serpvrts before Sthey knew
it.
"The fierce struggle on the ground
lasted five minutes, and then the
boas suddenly separated. One SER
pent glided to large tree near by,
and went up its trunk like a spiral
of lightning. The other snake
flashed in the same way up another
tree fifteen feet distant from the
first one. / feared that the fight
had come to an end, because one of
the snakes seemed to be afraid and
the other one daren't.
"But / soon saw that / was mis-
taken. The snakes had hardly set
tied themselves among the branches
of their respective trees when the
foliage of both trees began to
quiver as If a Wind we're passing
through and agitating them. Sud-
denly each boa coiling its tai
around branch high up in its
tree, dropped like plummet to-
ward the ground and hung at full
length, it's head raised but a few
inches above the ground. For a
moment their great bodies swayed
to and fro like slowly moving pen
dilums. Their eyes glittered like
fire. Then each serpent drew itself
quickly half it's length above the
ground. Like an arrow each head
shot forward, and instantly the
two enormous reptiles were locked
in each others coils like immense
cables twisted together.
Cup and down, to and fro, the
writhing mass moved in quick un-
dulation: each serpent struggling
for an opening that would place
the other at disadvantage. Their
forked tongues darted in and out
of their mouths like jets of flame,
and their Kissing was incessant.
The troops of chattering monkey
spectators had been joined by hun
dreds of harsh voiced but bril-
liantly-plumed birds. which flew
frantically about and added their
excited cries to the deafening mon
key chorus.
"The desperate midair struggle
between the boas continued for
several minutes, when they sepa-
rated again as suddenly as they
had rushed together, and each
drew itself back among the
branches of it's tree. For two OF
.l ,,o;putec tho cnokes Law ulliet