The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-10-06
MAN AGAINST BOA.
A Remarkable Duel Fought In Ceh''"'
America 20 settle a Wager.

A Remarkable Duel inukht a"
America 20 Settle a Wager
A Newark engineer who served on
the engineering corps employed III 'ns
construction of the Nicaragua canal
told the story Of duel with a boa CON
at,ictor by a fellow engineer. One OF tne
party stated one evening that he couiu
kill boa single handed. The rest OF
the crowd tried to convince him he was
wrong. hut he stuck to the assertion.
Finally handsome bet was made tna'
he could not dispatch boa alone u the
deadly reptile was in its natural CON
dition. The young engineer promptly
accepted the terms Of the wager.
The next day a gang Of natives were
sent into the forest to find boa. Ihey
finally came upon just the article they
were looking for. II was well grown
soecimen of the boa species fully 10 feet
long. II had eaten heartily a few days
before it was discovered, and it was
therefore torpid. 1t was captured WITH
out difficulty and taken back to camp.
1t was deposited in a room' wnere u
was securely bound and then left anul
its sleep should be over. The young en-
gineer who was to meet the undulous
monster of the forest in duel to the
death repented of his rash bargain many
times, but he never let any one kno"
and was dead game, as the saying
goes. from first to last. Boas often re-
main in torpor for three weeks, and II
was nearly fortnight before the pm
tened snake showed signs OF returning
activity. The engineers then appointed
night for the combat, and the young
man who was to face the serpent went
into active training. 1t had been stipu-
lated that his only weapon was to be a
knife, and the young man relied on his
clear brain, iron nerve and supple wrist
to carry him through the encounter IN
safety.
When work was over on the appoint
ed day. those who were in the secret en-
tered the room and proceeded to cut the
ropes with which the serpent was
bound. 1t had been coiled up and sew
eral bands placed about it. These were
all severed but one, and the snake S OPP
ponent entered while his companions
beat a hasty retreat to safe coigns OF
vantage from which to watch the strange
battle and TO give succor in last ex-
tremity. The young engineer was light.
ly clad and carried in his right hand
long knife, highly ground and sharp.
ened. The monster, half famished as II
was, was in most angry humor, and
its horrid head, oscillating to and fro
with distended jaws and viciously shin
ing, beady eyes, must have made thu
young mans flesh creep. He strod'
straight mp to the boa, and with light
ming stroke of his knife cut the remain
ing band that bound it. He jumped
back the instant the stroke had fallel
with the CELEBRITY of tiger cat, but hi
swiftness was snaillike compared will
that of the serpent. Quicker thai
thought the boa descended upon his en-
envy. Before the man could move tn
snake had fallen upon his arm, ha'
wound its way up its entire length ant
was biting at his shoulder.
The arm around which the snake hat
wound itself was the young fellow
knife arm. Luckily the hand and wris
were free. He did not wait to transfe
the knife to his other hand, bit sum
moned all his power and cut at the col
of the serpent nearest his pinioned hand
1t was splendid stroke, backwar
cut, and it was clean through the body
The upper portion of the Shiny col
dropped TO the floor, and the intrepi
engineer had won his bet. The entir
contest lasted but few seconds. and S
quickly did it pass that the breathles
, onlookers scarcely realized what ha
happened. The young man was prett
thoroughly exhausted. His shouldt
} was quite badly lacerated by the teet
} of the snake. The strangest part of III
| episode was that the young mans arr
2 was lame for weeks, and all its lengt
( was a spiral black and blue where II
! snake had encircled Pittsburg Dl
t patch.