The Irish standard., 1894-06-23
NEW STYLE OF SNAKE.
"A Valuable Addition to the Ser
pentine Family.
The Boaconda Was New One on the
Drummer, Hut the Mild hammered ].
Mans Story Did Not Knock Him
Out Altogether.

81 remember once, said hong
haired man with mild manner and
dreamy voice, after the drummer had
finished pretty stiff snake story, says
the Chicago Times, II remember once
when was in the unexplored regions
of the upper Amazon, had an adven-
ture with boaconda and"
''Hold up" interrupted the drummer,
sswhat is a boaconda? I've heard Of boa
constructors and anacondas, but never
of boaconda"
1.-THE boaconda," explained the
dreamy-eyed man, pleasantly, sis q
snake, unknown as yet to most natural
lists, and it is cross between the ana
conda and the boa, with this remarka-
bic popularity, that it has two heads.
Like it's congeners, however, it's bite is
not poisonous, and it swallows it's VIC
Tins. AS l was saying, had an adj
venture on one occasion with one of
these monsters which think I shall
not soon forget. One morning I had
gone into the forest with native to
hunt, and in the course of my rambles
I saw beautifully-hued bird of the
parrot family, in a tree, and shot it.
The bird caught in the branches, and,
my attendant having become separated
from me, concluded to climb for the
bird myself. When had reached the
lower limbs with my prize ! sew,
stretched on one of them, the largest
sized boaconda, with it's four wicked
eyes watching me.
''The shock of this sight was so great
that started violently, lost my hal
ance and fell from the tree, lighting
full upon my back with such force as
to knock me entirely senseless. How
long remained in this condition do
not know, but when I recovered felt
as if my legs were fixed in a wise, and
being unable to move them I be-
came convinced that had injured my
spine and was paralyzed. After sew
eral Intellectual attempts to move l
raised myself on my elbow and looked
down at my legs You can imagine 1ny
surprise, not to say horror, when lying
close to my body, on each leg, saw
hall. of each head of that dreadful ser
pent. Why I should only see half I
could not explain to myself, and before
I could investigate had tainted. This
was of short duration, and presently
was myself again and, taking another
look, / found the serpent still there.
Then began to understand, and il. a
minute more knew that the reptile
had attempted to swallow me, for on
my hands and face I could feel the
slime with which these brutes anoint
their victim before they begin to swal-
low them.
''Evident1y this one had not been very
careful in its calculations, or, possibly,
had never attempted to swallow hui
IMAM n11sn being, for it was plain to be seen
that each of it's heads had common ced
on each of my legs, and when that much
Of me had been swallowed the re-
mainder could not very we'll be, for rea-
sons not necessary to explain here. In
any event, that part which had been
swallowed had stuck in the two Threats,
and while was helpless the snake was
In no better fix. What to do was the
question now, and having become some
what accustomed to my position / was
cool enough to think of some way of
escape.
'sWhile revolving various plans in my
mind my eyes wandered to one side,
and there, within reach, lay my double
barreled gun with one load in it. The
next instant l had hold of it, and the
next had slipped in another cartridge
and was ready for war. couldn't
shoot the snake in the head unless
shot my legs off, but I calculated that
its heart must be somewhere near the
point of juncture of the necks, which
was about three feet from the tip Of
the nose. Toward that point, then, I
slowly slipped the gun, and, when ]
had got as far as ! could, shut my
eyes, breathed a prayer, and let both
barrels go. It almost tore the great
body of the snake asunder, and in its
death throes was beaten around the
bush in terrible fashion for minute or
two, until I was thrown out Of reach.
In half an hour I had recovered sufh-
GENTLY to walk, and started back to
the village with blood in my eye for
that native attendant who had deserted
me-"
'.Did you find him?" asked the drum
mer anxiously, as the story teller
seemed about to stop at this point. "And
did you slug him?"
'No," said the dreamy-voiced man.
''Providence did that for me. mean"
he said, correcting himself, shat provi-
dence took the matter out of my hands.
On my way back to the village I
noticed huge anaconda asleep by the
pathway and, as I wanted the skin OF
one, drove my knife through the head
of the sleeping reptile and proceeded
70 denude it of it's integunent. I OBJ
served, as thought, that it had swal-
lowed lamb and was sleeping off the
affects of it, but what was my surprise
when cut into it to find within the
body of my attendant who had ac-
aompanied me out to the forest in the
morning" The dreamy-voiced man
cooked piously up toward the ceiling OF
the smoker and was silent q moment.
''Was he dead?" inquired the drum.
mer, and the dreamy-voiced man