The record-union., 1894-02-24
FOUGHT A DUEL WITH A BOA.
The Rash Wager an Engineer Which
Nearly Cost Him His Life.

The Rash Wager ofan Engineer Which
Nearly Cost Him His Life.
A Newark, n. j., engineer who served
on the engineering corps employed III the
construction of the Nicaragua Canal, and
is home on q sort of lurlOugh, recently
told writer for the Pittsburg DjSpdtch
the story of duel with boa constructor
by a fellow engineer. Life in the canal
country is dreary, and various schemes
are resorted to in order TO relieve the mo-
notony. one of the party stated one
evening that he could kill a boa single
handed The rest Of the crowd tried to
convince him he was wrong, bat he stuck
to the assertion. Finally handsome bet
was made that he could not dispatch boa
alone if the deadly reptile was IN its nat
ural condition. The young engineer
promptly accepted the terms of the wager.
The next day gang of natives were sent
into the forest 10 find boa. They cOntln-
ned their search for some time and finally
came upon just the article they were look
inc for. 1t was a well grown specimen
of the boa species, fully fifteen feet long.
1t had eaten heartily q few days before
it was discovered and it was therefore
torpid. 1t was captured without diff
Guilty and taken back to camp. 1t was
securely bound and then lett until it's
sleep should be over. The young engi-
neer who was to meet the unduIouS
monster of the forest In duel to the death
repented of his rash bargain many times,
but he never let anyone know it, and
was dead game" as the saying goes,
from first to last. Boas often remain in
torpor for three weeks, and it was nearly
a fortnight before the pinioned snake
showed signs of activity. The engineer
then appointed night for the combat,
aud the young man VINO was to face the
serpent went into active training. 1t had
been stipulated that his only weapon was
to be 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 entered
the room and proceeded to cut the ropes
with which the serpent was bound. 1t
had been coiled up and several bands
placed about it. These were all severed
but one, and the snakes opponent en-
tered 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 car
ried in his right hand a long knife, highly
ground and sharpened. The monster,
half famished as it was, was in q most
angry humor. and it's horrid head oscil-
lating to and fro with distended jaws and
viciously shining, beady eyes must have
made the young mans flesh creep. lie
strobe straight up to the boa, and with a
lightning stroke of his knife cut the re-
naming band that bound it. He jumped
back the instant the stroke had fallen with
the celerity OF a tiger cat, but his swift
ness 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 it's entire length and was biting at his
shoulder The arm around which the
snake had wound itself was the young
fellows knife arm. Luckily the hand
and wrist were free. He did not wait to
transfer the knife to the other hand, but
summoned all his power and cut at the
coil of the serpent nearest his pinioned
| hand 1t was splendid stroke, a back
! ward cut, and it was clean through the
body. The upper portion OF the Shiny
! coil dropped to 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 on
| lockers scarcely realized what had hap
! pened. The young man was pretty thor
oughly 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 en-
| circleC 1t.