The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
STORIES ABOUT SNAKES.
How a Naturalist Captured a Clan
Python.

How a Naturalist Captured a Giant
Python.
"Sit down and sharpen your pencil while
1 overhaul my mental Shelves" remarked
Mr.. Thompson, curator of the geological
collection in the park, in answer to a re-
quest for some snake stories.
"Many years ago l visited the Capon
Springs, Hampshire County, W. Va.
While there often amused myself SOUR
rel-hunting. The landlord owned a small
terrier, which had been taught to hunt
and tree them, and an oId-fashioned Ken
tucky rife. l frequently borrowed both
dog and gun, and with their assistance
managed to have fair sport. One after
noon I was making my way through the
underground, attracted by the barking of
the dog, when Just in front of me saw a
blacksnake, with his head we'll aloft. in
tently looking over an old rotten log. |
remained still and awaited DEVELOPMENTS,
and in few seconds he darted over the
log, and there was a fearful rustling
among the dry leaves, On advancing so
there was clear view beyond the log,
saw that he had seized a rattlesnake lust
bac of the head and was killing it by con-
striction. Just then the dog began to bark
with increased vehemence. an1 fear
ing that the squirrel would be-
jumping from tree to free, l has
tend away TO secure my game. On nv
return / found the rattler dead and the
blacksnake gone. The conclusion | drew
from this incident was that Constructor
bascanion and Crotalus durissus were not
loving neighbors.
Now [ shall have to take you out to
South Africa. L lived IN Durham, Natal,
which is about 1000 miles around the Cape
OF Good Hope, up toward Madagascar.
One morning l received a note from the
port captain, asking me to come down to
the harbor with all possible dispatch, as
python had taken possession OF German
brig, and | was wanted to capture it. TAX
ing one of my keepers with me, hurried
down, and found quite a crowd on the
letty, among whom were the crew of the
brig. On inquiry learned that there had
been a shower during the night, and IN
the morning the mate had ordered one of
the men TO 20 aloft and shake out the sails
in order to dry them. He started up, and
down on the clean run. The mate wanted
to know what he meant by such actions.
Whereupon he was informed that if he
wished the sails loosened lie was at per-
feet liberty TO do the job himself; and,
more over, If such a trick was ever at
tempted ON him again he would take his
discharge. The mutinous tar was in
other places, while the valiant mate
started aloft TO attend to matters on his
own hook. No sooner did his head get on
level with the top than he came down
with gait which far excelled that of the
isobedient sailor. He instantly raised
the alarm, and the entire crew lost no
time in getting on shore and spreading
the report that the rigging was full of the
biggest kind of snakes.
with the assistance OF the port cap
tain's binoculars l had no difficulty in
making a critical examination of the en-
tire upper works of the vessel, which was
anchored about 100 yards from the shore.
The result was one large python, coiled
around the laps of the main and top mast.
Borrowing a sack, l managed, after much
persuasion. to get two of the crew 10 pull
myself and keeper off to the brig, where
they left us and turned back to the ietty.
l unrove the flag halyards, made q oose
in one end of them, and hunted around
until l found a stout piece of reed some
six or eight feet in length. Climbing up
the shrouds, l made my attack through
the lubbershOle by punching his snakeship
with the reed, to the end of which l had
tied the moose. He put his head down
through the hole for the purpose of fight
ing me, when he was instantly noosed
around the neck and the halyards made
fast to the ratlines. In his violent
with such force as rapidly to choke him
self into insensibility. Calling to the
keeper TO hold the mouth of the sack
open. watched until l thought he was
nearly at his last gasp, when l squirmed
up on the top, loosened mis- coils around
the masts, lowered him into the sack,
when the keeper Immediately cut the
moose. By the time that l reached the
deck he had nearly recovered from his
severe wind stoppage. i gently opened
the mouth OF the sack to have a good
look at him, and discovered from his
bloated appearance that he had recently
partaken OF hearty meal. On the arri-
val of the crew on board it was discov-
cred that the captains fox-terrier was
missing. / therefore concluded that the
python, in swimming across the harbor,
had struck the vessePs hawser, up which
he had crawled to the deck, swallowed
the dog and gone aloft to digest the
meal. Buffalo Commercial.