Evening star., 1896-07-18
1.-THE FESTIVE CENTIPEDE
A Western Mining Engineer Relates Grew
some Experience.
Blown to Dust, Yet Clinched Seven
Claws in q Sleeping
Mans Chest.

"Rattlesnakes, scorpions. tarantulas. gila
monsters-they are all good things to keep
away FROM" said mining engineer, re-
Gently returned from the west. but for
all-around hatefulness they simply aren't
in 1t with a centipede. No. they are not
lie ecessarily fatal No poisonous insects are.
Notwithstanding the stories one hears to
the contrary. But they are bad enough
Did you ever see one? They are not pretty.
and they don't look in the least like these
thousand-legged worms which we call cen
tipedes here. The genuine thing may be
anywhere from one to six inches In long.
l killed two. each eight inches in length.
but that Is not common. Their bodies con-
sist Of a lot of joints. something like a
string Of fattened beads. Each joint has
two legs connected with 1t, and in the ends
of these lies the poison. There are nine
teen joints. SO that. although he hasn't a
hundred feet, as his name implies. he is
still very well provided with them. Thirty
eight legs. and every leg sting He can't
attack you from the ground, of course.
He doesn't have to, for it Is at night when
there Is the greatest danger from these
pests.
He is of an investigating turn Of mind,
and Is fond of exploring ones body as it
lies asleep. Scorpions or any Of the other
creatures sting only when they wish TO-.
and only wish to In self-defense; but with
q centipede 1t is different.
HE may simply walk over one. with each
step making something over three dozen
footprints, and each of these will leave a
running sore around which the flesh will
finally slough off-a horrible scar being the
result. II the creature Is angered or star
tled-and it takes very little to annoy him
every claw Is instantly driven deep into
the flesh, and the result Is ten times worse.
so far as speed Of travelling goes. the
centipede would be lost in the turn by
many smaller insects; but in this clinching
speciality of his l think he must be the
quickest creature that lives.
There was q remarkable case In point
which took place during the last trip of
mine." continued the engineer.
I'VE were camped somewhere near the
southern end of the line dividing New
Mexico from Arizona. 1t was just dawn
when something woke me. My instrument
man and a rodman lay on the opposite side
of the little open tent. The rodman was
also awake. and was gazing silently. with
an expression Of horror on his face, al the
bare chest of his companion. Then. from
under the arm of the sleeping man. ap-
peared the linked body of big centipede.
fully six inches long.
1T went forward little way and stop
ped: then crawled leisurely on again.
There was nothing to do that could think
Of A sudden movement a sound. or even
a shadow would at once cause the brute
to fasten himself.
THE warmth Of the body seemed to
please him. and he stopped again. Luckily
the transitman never stirred. The inaction
was ghastly. and ] saw the rodman's hand
gradually - very gradually - move toward
the saddle which served him pillow.
disappearing under 1t. Then 1t slowly
emerged. grasping a heavy pistol, cooked.
Always with the same deliberation. the
muzzls was brought to within a few inches
CT the centipede: the barrel carefully point
ed so that it would just miss the man s
breast, and the trigger pulled. The sleeper
awoke with scream, starting up and try
ing to clutch at the place. but before he
could do SO we had p!nioned his hands
and forced him back The centipede,
naturally, was blown to dust. but between
the time that bullet left the pistol, two
inches away, and reached the end of his
six-inch body the creature had found time
to bury seven Of his thirty-e;ght legs.
We never thought the injured man
would survive. but after weeks Of deirium,
he began slowly to recover. When the OBJ
stinate wound had healed the scar was as
though a red-hot ladle had been laid across
the mans body the path of the centipede
forming the handle. and the bowl, place
as large as ones hand. made by the lying
clinch. III take my scorpions straight, If
l have choice. No centpedes In mine