The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-26

IL had been picked up, he began TO circle
precisely as a dog would act, having lost
the scent He gradually increased the size
of his circles until he struck the spot
where the toad had been put down, when
he made bee line after it. We leaped
into the road and hurried after his snake
ship. who, as soon as he discovered that
he was being followed, turned up the slope
ana Squlrmed out OF sight through the
fence. Ashby said: am sure you are sat
ished now that a blacksnake hunts his
prey by scent l assented, and he turned
back after the buggy while / pushed for
ward, picked up the frightened toad and
carried it fully half a mile before releas-
ing It.
"Many years ago 1 visited the Capon
Springs, Hampshire county, West Nir-
glnla. While there 1 often amused my
sell squirrel hunting. The landlord own
ed n small terrier, which had been taught
to hunt and tree them, and an old-fashion-
ed kentucky rifle. l frequently borrowed
both dog and gun, and with their assis-
lance managed to have fair sport. One
afternoon l was making my way through
the underground, attracted by the bark
ing OF the dog, when just in front of me
saw black snake with his head well
alott, lntently looking over an old rotten
log. / remained still and awaited deVel-
opments, and in a few seconds he darted
over the log and there was a fearful rust
ling among the dry leaves. on advance
ing so that there was "a clear view be-
yond the log, L saw that he had seized
rattlesnake just back of the head, and
was killing ii by construction. Just then
the dog began to bark with increased We
hemence, and fearing that the squirrel
would become so frightened as to COM
mence jumping from tree to tree, l hast
ened away TO secure my game. On my re-
turn l found the RATHER dead and the
black snake 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. / 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
a Dig python had taken possession of a
German brig, and was wanted to capture
it. Taking one of my keepers with me |
hurried down and found quite a crowd
on the tetty, among whom were the crew
of the brig On inquiry l learned that
there had been a shower during the night,
and in the morning the mate had order
ed one of the men to go aloft and shake
out the sails, in order to dry them. He
started up, and on reaching the main
top turned, and came 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
loosed he was at perfect liberty to do
the job himself; and, moreover, if such q
trick was ever attempted on him again
he would take his discharge. The mutt
nous tar was instantly ordered to hades,
and numerous other places, while the val
liant mate started aloft TO attend to mat
ters on his own hook. No sooner did his
head get on level with the top than he
came down at a gait that far exceeded
stantly 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 / 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 topmost.
Borrowing a sack l managed, after much
persuasion, to get two of the crew to pull
myself and keeper off to the brig, where
they left us, and turned back to the jetty
l unrove the flag halyards, made a moose
in one end of them, and hunted around
until found stout piece of reed, some
six or eight feet in length. Climbing up the
lubbershole,. by punching his snakeship
with the reed, to the end of which / had
tied the moose. He put his head down
trough the hole for the purpose of lighting
the neck and the halyards made fast to
the ratlines. In his violent efforts to effect
reiase he drew back his
bility. Calling to the keeper to hold the
mouth of the sack open, L watched until
l thought he was nearly at his last gasp,
when l squirmed up on the top, loosened
his coils around the masts, lowered him
into the sack, when the keeper Immediate
~ cut the moose. BY the time that l reach
ed the deck he had nearly recovered from
his severe wind stoppage. l gently opened
the mouth of the sack to have a good look
at him, and discovered, from mis- bloated
appearance, that he had recently partaken
of a hearty meal On the arrival of the
| crew on board it was discovered that the
| captains fox terrier was missing. l there
| fore concluded that the python in swim
| ming across the harbor, had struck the
vessels hawser, up which he had crawled
| on to the deck swallowed the dog, and
a1n 70