Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-08-20


"The only things ] never could get
used to were the snakes, with their
horrid way Of coming wriggling out
all of a sudden, just where one least
, expected them. But in spite of all
that, was beginning to feel tolera-
bly, comfortable, when an adventure
befell me which was worse by far than
all that had gone before it.
Zone hot afternoon, your uncle had
been called out as usual, leaving me
in the house. My boy, Walter, who
is such a giant now, was then little
fair-faced baby, only a few months
old; and / was sitting sewing beside
him, near the open door that led into
the yard, as he lay asleep on a mat
upon the floor.
Everything was perfectly still, for
my Hottentot servants were all hav-
ing their afternoon nap; and what
with the heat, and what with the still
ness, | was beginning to get rather
drowsy myself, when, all at once, |
saw something that reused me up with
vengeance.
"ln the corner where | was sitting,
so close to my feet that it seemed
strange | hadn't seen it before, lay the
skin of mouse, quite empty, Just like
an orange peel when the inside has
been sucked out!
"The moment | caught sight of it,
knew there must be 'puf-adder'
somewhere about; for mice are its
fayorite food, and that's how it eats
them. 1t gave me a terrible fright
for the moment, for although I
thought any kind of snake bad enough
yet had a greater horror of this par
ticular kind than Of all the rest put
together
"For the moment | was so scared
that ] hardly knew what to do: and
then | began to get my wits together
again, and to remember that the first
thing to be done was to find out OK
actly where the creature was.
"Now, | should tell you that the
puff-adder is one of the deadliest of
the African snakes, and gets its name
from its habit of blowing out the
pouch of loose skin under its head
just before it strikes. It's way of
striking is to rear up on end, throw
its head back, and give it quick
downward stroke, like the blow of
pickax, with the two big, hooked teeth
in the front of its upper jaw. It
scarcely ever misses its blow, and its
poison is so strong that it is very rare
for anyone to live half an hour after
being struck. So you may think that
with the chance of coming upon such
a reptile at any moment, l went very
gingerly to work to look for it.
81 hunted everywhere without see
ing sign of it, till I had moved every
thing in the room except the mat upon
which my baby was sleeping.
"'Could it be under that% thought
|, and the thought brought my heart
into my mouth, / can assure you.
However, there was nothing else to be
done. As softly as ever l could, /
lifted one corner of the mat, and there
was the horrible creature, coiled round
and round, and fast asleep.
"My heart seemed fairly to stand
still for minute. But there was no
time for fainting then. l knew well
enough that couldn't kill the snake
myself, for you may pound a puff
adder with an ak or hammer by the
hour together, and the blows will |
glide off it as if it were made of India
rubber. The only thing to kill them
is charge of shot. So Iput down the
mat again as carefully as I had raised
it, and stepped softly to the door.
"Just then, to my great delight, I
saw our Dutch servant, Hans, going
leisurely across the yard. beckoned
to him, and he came up; but my breath
was so gone with the fright that /
could only get out one word:
'Slangp (snake)
CLANS understood me, however,
nodded his head knowingly, and
walked of-for even then he couldn't
make up his mind to run-to fetch
his gun.
Presently he came back with it,
ana planted himself in the doorway,
all ready, while snatched up the baby
with one hand, and whisked away the
mat with the other.
Instantly the venomous thing un-
derneath reared itself up with an
angry hiss; but before it could spring,
Hans fired and shot it dead
"And now, little folks, you've had
your story, and | think it's time for
you to say goodnight" Golden
Days.