Birmingham state herald., 1896-08-05
HIS NERVE WAS THERE.
This Sort of Centipede Was Harmless, but
 He Didn't Know It.

This Sort of oentipede Was Harmless, but He Didn't Know 1t. | San Francisco Call.
 The Hawaiian islands are almost as well off as Ireland. St. Patrick drove all the venomous insects and reptiles out of the green isle. but the Hawaiians claim that the reptiles and insects left on MT Dole's domain are in no sense of the word poisonous.
 People who have particular dealings with venomous insects imported from the islands make the same claim. A lo- cal fruit importer said yesterday:
 "Very frequently we receive consign- ments of bananas and pineapples packed in dried grass and leaves. In taking the fruit from the boxes it is not uncommon to find big centipede crawling along the stalk between the bananas doing his best to get used to the California cli- mate..
 Tuesday afternoon I was opening box of bananas and pushed my hand through the straw to get at the stalk. I felt around for a few seconds and thought I could feel something moving around on the back of my hand. had often heard of the presence of centipedes in fruit shipments, so l carefully with drew my hand so as to make as little commotion possible. Imagine my sur prise and alarm to see a 5-inch centlpede slowly crawling up my arm. l was about to strike 1t when a fruit packer, standing near by, warned me to make no attempt to get rid of it, but let it crawl off at it's leisure. I had forgotten the fact that they were not poisonous, and know I got as white as sheet be- lieving every moment that it would sink it's claws into me and send its powerful poison through my blood.
 q looked at it with fear and trembling,
 but did not care to move muscle. It lifted it's head and seemed perfectly sat ! isfied to remain where it was. l could hardly restrain myself from making quick motion and shaking it off, but my companion had warned me again and
 again to keep quiet. All I could feel was a tickling sensation. The tickling ln-
 creased and l was almost ready to faint
 with suppressed excitement. Finally the
 centipede looked up at my sleeve and slowly made for 1t, moving all the legs
 in unison. The sensation by this time
 was unbearable and l feared l would be
 unable to remain calm until the thing got entirely off. My flesh seemed to shrink away as the horrible creature pro- ceeded, but in a few. more seconds, every one of which seemed an hour, 1t had set tied itself comfortably on the fabric of my clothing, and with a motion quicker | than I was ever known to make before, l I routed it with a stick and sat down, | perspiring from head to foot. It was the | most thrilling experience l ever hgured
 in, and it made me sick the rest or the day.
 My companion began to laugh as though he would die of merrlment, but
 saw nothing particularly humorous In
 the situation.
 "'You are crazy he said, to get
 frightened over little thing like that.
 Do you not know that Hawaiian island
 centipedes are not poisonous? l told
 you to keep quiet just to see how long your nerve would last. If the thing had sunk every claw he had in your flesh it would have only caused little swelling and nothing more. I have had several of them strike me, and l apply little ammonia or salt water and cure 1t up In half an hour.'"