The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-24

bullet passed through the peak, cutting .
| furrow through his thick woolly hair and
| carrying the hat away with it q distancs
| of dozen yards.
Pick up that hoe, you hound. Ithun-
| dered, 'or I'll shoot straighter this timeli'
The man was thoroughly oowed. and
turning sullenly to his work he continued
/ his hoeing industriously. and had 10
! further cause TO complain. Twice did
catch him stealing up stealthily behind me.
and third time / found him concealed
beneath the bed IN my sleeping cabin.
i Az this l took him before the oye-seer,
desperadolise Frenchman. ore OF whose
maxiins was that the only way to rule
niggers was TO shoot them at the first sign
/ of INSTRUMENTATION When told him whas
had taken place, he said TO ms, with a
( laugh:
/ ~ nice little mess you've 60. yoursol,
into, II you'd put second buIie; into
him when You missed him with the first,
/ you would have saved yourself all this
I trouble, and We'll have 10 shoot him all
the same in the end, for a niger who's
( once set the gangcrs at defiance IS never
] any good again"
I Then, turning 70 the negro. he had him
/ led out 10 a she'd 1T the back Of The hons.
where there Was halter hanging from a
I beam IN the roof, with slipnooss in II.
as though ready prepared for use - a gal
lows
''See that, Diego. II any harm hapDcns
10 the CANCER here. or II he socs missing
and we cant find him. We shall hang YOU
up here by the neck till you've kicked
yourself TO death 20, you see, IL will pay
you 10 take care of him. ="
On the afternoon of the day following
my interview with the overSeer / was SIT
ting at the stables. seeing my horse attend
ed 20, when my attention was attracted 70
Diego, the negro, coming from the neigh
borhood Of = marshy jungle OF trees 40 or
90 yards away from the factory and resi-
dertial cabins.
He was trailing something along the
ground, which on a closer examination
proved 10 be the body 81 terrible poison
Gus snake, the fer de lance
To my surprise, instead Of making to-
ward the laborerS' quarters, after looking
steal.hily around 70 assure himself that he
was not observed, he entered my own
sleeping cabin, dragging the serpent in
after him through the open window
These serpents live in pairs, and IL one
of them is killed and its body taken away
the survivor, when IL awakes to activity
in the nightfall, will follow along the
course its mate has been taken and in this
way VIII often travel 70 great distances.
From where | was standing 1 could see IN
through the open window. As l had ex-
pected, the negro carried the body Of tho
serpent and placed IL upon the bed
Then, lifting IL carefully. so that no part
Of il any longer touched the ground, he
carried it away and concealed 10 in tho
shed where the oyerseer had shown him
the gallows rope.
When the oversecr heard my statement.
he Immediately ordered Diego 20 be arrest
ed and placed in captivity in tho very shed
In which he had concealed the body Of the
serpent
The moon had risen soon after sunset.
and it was not long before we could SEQ
distinctly the form of tho serpent issuing
from the jungle.
1t came, with its head raised high In the
air and swaying from side To slide, "a
though it were looking for it's mate.
Quickly IL advanced until 1t reached tho
open window. For moment 10 paused
here, It's head thrust through the window.
Then its coils Enlightened out, and quick
ly, stealthily, the glistening, Shiny mon
stor glided into the room.
The horror Of what would have occurred
but for my fortunately catching sight Of
the negro as he brought the snake from
the Jungle was upon Us all. when suddenly
we were startled AZ seeing the snake again
issue from the hut.
This time IL came through the doorway,
and by the pace at which it was travelling
IL seemed as though IL WAS still following
along some definite track.
Suddenly we realized where the snake
was going. Although the body Of its mate
had not touched the ground when 10 was
carried from the hut. the live snake was
still following upon the scent.
As have said, Diego, the negro, was
confined in the shed, and, seeing the dan
ger To him. raised my rice % fire and
kill il before IL could enter. As ! did so.
however the oversseT caught the barrel OF
the rine saying:
What arc you doing' The snakes all
right It's going into the she'd
But Diego, " gasped. ''the negro. 10
will attack and Kill him. "
II 70 does, 80 much the worse for Diego.
He'll he peTpored with his own sauoe."
wrenchcd free the rifie, but IL was to
late. The serpent had already disappeared
within the shed 1 ran forward st full
speed, intending 20 unlock the door and
II possible save tho unfortunate man. but
even a. ! ran cry Of terror and agony
rang out, and knew that was too late
broke the serpent's back with n blow
from the butts end % my rife and dis
patched IL with = bullet moment later.
Then. turning 70 Diego ! cut the fiesh
away from that part 81 bis thigh which
had been bitten. and with what little
Of surgery | possessed bound
up the wound and stancheG the Cow %
blood His giant constitution enabled him
b stand what would have killed an orui-
nary nan, and his gratitude % mr. whom
be regarded a. having saved bis lie, was
a. strong "a bis former rescntmsut hsi
been, and more than once on subse4D.as
oocasions did I owe ny life 70 bis fsitafui
service 49, Bostou Gi0Ds.
One of the IxlIxriex.