Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-08-02
Swallowed by a Snake.

explored regions OF the upper Aul"%o"'
| had an adventure with boaconda.
The boaconda, explained the
dreamy voiced man pleasantly, rs
snake unknown as Vet to most natu-
ralists, and it Is cross between the
anaconda and the boa, with this re-
markable peculiarly, that 1t has two
beads Like its congeners, however,
its bite is not poisonous, and it swal-
lows its victims.
"As was saying, | had an adyen-
venture on the occasion with one OF
these monsters which I think | shall
not soon forget. One morning | had
gone into the forest with native TO
hunt. and in the course of my rambles
| saw a beauifully-hued bird of the
parrot family in tree and shot IL
The bird caught in the branches, and
nv attendant having become separt-
Ell from me | concluded 10 climb for
the bird myself When had reach
ed the lower limbs withmy prize saw
stretched ON one of them the largest
sized boaconda, with its four wicked
ewes watching me. The shock Of this
sight was so great that started ylo-
lently, lost my balance and fell from
the tree, lighting full upon my back
with such force as to knock me sense
less. How long | remained in tins
condition | DO not know, but when !
recovered felt a. if my legs were fixed
in a wise, and being unable to move
them became convinced that ! had
injured my spine and was paralyzed.
After several Intellectual attempts to
move l raised myself on my elbow and
looked down at my legs.
"You may imagine my surprise, not
to say horror, when lying close TO my
body, on each leg saw half of each
head OF that dreadful serpent Why
| should only see half could not cN-
plain to myself, and before had time
to 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 IN MIN
ute more | knew that the reptile had
attempted to swallow ne. for on my
hands and face | could feel the slime
with which these brutes anoint their
victims before they begin to swallow
them. Evidently this one had not
been very careful in It's calculations,
or, possibly had never attempted to
swallow a human being, for 1t was
plain to be seen that each of It's heads
had commenced ON each Of my legs,
and when that much of me had been
swallowed the remainder could not
very well be, for reasons not necessary
to explain here. In any event, that
part which had been swallowed had
stuck in the two throats, and while !
was helpless the snake was in no bet
ter fix. What to do was the question
now, and having become somewhat ac-
customed to my position ! was cool
enough to think Of some way Of escape.
While revolving various plans in
my mind my eyes wandered to one
side, and there, within reach, lay my
double-h.rreled gun with one load IN
it. The next instant had hold oft
and the next | had slipped IN another
cartridge and was ready for war. |
couldn't shoot the snake in tho head
unless l shot my legs Oft, but calcu-
lated that Its heart must be somewhere
near the point ofjuncture Of the necks,
which was about three feet from the
tip of the nose. Toward that point,
then, | slowly slipped the gun, and
when | had got it a. far as could !
shut my eyes. breathed a prayer and
let both barrels 20. It almost tore
the great body Of the snake asunder,
and in It's death throes ! was beaten
around the bush in terrible fashion for
a minute or two, until | was thrown
out Of reach. In half an hour ! had
recovered sufficiently to walk, and |
started back to the village with blood
in my eye for that native attendant
who had deserted me.
"On my way back to the village /
noticed huge anaconda asleep by the
pathway, and, as | wanted the skin Of
one, drove my knife through the head
of the sleeping reptile and proceeded
to denude it Of it, integument. | OBJ
served as | thought, that it had swal-
lowed lamb and was sleeping off the
the effects oft, but what was my sur
prise when cut into it to find within
the body Of the attendant who had ac-
.smpanied me out to the forest in the
morning" The dreamy-voiced man