Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-05-12
TO Be continusAl
MAN AGAINST BOA.
Remarkable Duel Fought I'm Central
America to settle "a Wager.

A Newark engineer who served on
the engineering corps employed in the
construction OF the Nicaragua Canal,
and Is home on a sort of furlough, re-
Gently told the story of duel with q
boa constructor by fellow engineer.
Life in the canal country is dreary, and
various schemes are resorted TO in order
10 relieve the monotony. One of the
party stated one evening that he could
kill boa single-handed. The rest O,
the crowd tried to convince him he was
wrong, bnt he stuck TO the assertion.
Finally. n handsome bet was made that
he could not dispatch a boa alone if the
deadly reptile was in its natural con.
dltion. The young engineer promptly
accepted the terms of the wager.
The next day gang of natives were
sent into the forest to find boa They
continued their search for some time
and finally came upon just the article
they were looking for. 1t was we'll
grown specimen OF the boa species, full.
ly nfteen feet long. 1t had eaten hearth
~ few days before it was discovered
and it was therefore torpid. 1t was cap
to camp. 1t was deposited in a room.
where it was securely bound and then
left until its sleep should be over. The
Young engineer who was to meet the
undulous monster of the forest in duel
20 the death repented of his rash bargain
many times, but he never let anyone
know, and was dead game" as the
saying goes, from first to last.
Boas often remain in torpor for
three weeks, and it was nearly fort
night before the pinioned snake showed
signs of returning activity. The en-
gineer then appointed night for the
combat, and the young man who was TO
face the serpent went into active train
ing. 1t had been stipulated that his
only weapon was to he 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 appointed
day those who were in the secret en-
tered the room and proceeded TO cut the
ropes with which the serpent was bound.
II had been coiled up and several bands
placed about it. These were all sew
cred but one, and the suake's opponent
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 extremity.
The young engineer was lightly clad
and carried in his right hand long
kaie, highly ground and sharpened'
Tie monster. half famisbed rs it was,
was in most angry humor. and its hor-
rie head oscillating TO and fro with dis
tenGed laws and yiciously shining.
beady ewes must have made the young
mans flesh creep. He strobe straight
up 10 the boa, and with lightning
stroke of his knife cut the remaining
band that bound it. He jumped back
the instant the stroke had fallen with
the celerity of tiger cat, but his swift
mess was snail-like compared with that
Of the serpent! Quicker than thought
the boa descended upon his enemy.
Before the man could move the snake
had fallen upon his arm, had wound its
way up its entire length and was biting
at his shoulder.
The arm around which the snake had
=
knife arm. Luckily the hand and wrist
were free. He did not wait TO transfer
the knife TO his other hand, but sum-
,noned all his power and cut At the coil
of the serpent nearest his rinioned hand.
1t was splendid stroke, backward
cut, and was clean through the body.
Tls upper portion OF the Shiny coil
dropped 10 the floor and the intrepid
engineer had won his bet. The entire
contest lasted but a few seconds. and so
quickly did it pass that the breathless
onlookers scarcely realized what had
happened. The young man was pretty
thoroughly exhausted. His shoulder
was quite badly lacerated by the teeth
of the snake. The strangest part of the
episode was that the young mans arm
was lame for weeks, and all its length
was spiral black and blue where the
snake had encircled Pittsbarg DIS
S1yrf-h