The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-09-22
CHAPTER XVII.


strictOr. The species is common in the
| Philippines, but ii il rare to meet with a
specimen of very larre dimensions. 1t is
possible, nay probable, that centuries Of
time are necessary for this reptile to at
tam It's largest size, and TO such an arc
the various accidents to which animals
are exposed rarely suffer il to attain.
Full sized toas are consequently to be
met with Only in the aioomicst most re-
mote, and most solitary forests.
have seen many boas OF ordinary size
such as are found in our European col
lcctionS. There were some, indeed. that
inhabited my house. and ore night |
found one two va DIS long in possession of
my bed. Several times, when passing
through the woods with my Indians, !
heard piercing cries of an animal. On ap-
preaching the spot whence they proceed
ed we almost inyarial ~ fourd a wild boar
about whose body a hoa had twisted it's
folds and was gradually hosting him up
into the tree round which it had coiled it
self
When the boar had reached n certain
hight the snake pressed him apainst
tree with a force that crushed his bones
and stiff ed him. Then the boa let it's
prey fall, descended the tree and pre-
pared to swallow it. This last operation
was MACH. too lengthy for US to wait its
end.
To simplify matters, | sent ball into
the boa's head. My Indians took the
make dagger sheaths Of II is unneces-
sary to say that the boar was rot
forgotten, althou' h it was a prey that
had cost us but little troufie to secure.
One day an Indian surprised one OF these
reptiles asleep after il had swallowed an
enormous deer It's size was so great that
n buffalo wagon would have been neces-
sary TO transport it to the village. The
Indian cut il in PIECES, and contented
himself with as much as he could carry
off
Having been informed If this sent after
the remains and my people brought me
"a piece about eight feet long, and 50 large
| in circumference that the skin when
dried enveloped the tailcst man like a
cloak.
had not yet seen any Of these LARGEST
sized serpents alive. when one afternoon,
crossing the mountains with two OF my
| shepherds, our attention was drawn To
the constant barkinG of my dogs, which
seemed to be aSSailine some animal that
| stood upon its defense. We at first thouph
that it was a buffalo that they had reused
| from its lair and approached the spot
with due caution.)n
| My dogs were dispersed along the brink
of deep ravine in which was an enOr-
| nous boa constructor. The monster raised
| his head to a hight of five or six feet,
directing it from one edge to the other Of
| the ravine, and menacing his assailants
with his iorked tongue, but the dogs,
more active than he was, easily avoided
his attacks.
My first impulse was to shoot him.
Then il occurred TO me to take him alive
and to send him to France. Assuredly he
would have been the most mOnStroUs
boa that had ever been seen there. To
carry my design into execution we manu-
featured nOOSeS OF cane strong enough TO
resist the efforts OF the most powerful
wild buffalo With great precaution we
succeeded In passing one OF our nOOSeS
around the boa's neck then we tied him
tightly TO q tree in such q manner as to
keep his head at it's usual biGht-abOut
six feet from the ground. This done we
crossed TO the other side of the ravine
and threw another rGOSe over him which
we secured like the first.
When he felt himself thus fixed at
both ends he coiied and writhcd. and
grapoled several little trees which grew
within his reach along the edGe OF the
ravine. Unluckily for him everything
yielded to his efforts. He tore up the
young trees By the roots, broke of the
branches and disiodeed enormous stones,
round which he SOUGHT in vein to Cd ain
the hold or point of resistance he M C led.
The noOscs were strong and withstood
his almost furious efforts.
To convey an animal like this several
bulTaloes and a whole system of cOrdaee
were necessary. NiGht approached. Con-
fdcnt in our nOOses we left the lace pro-
posing to return next morning and com
plete the capture. But we reckoned with
our our host. In the night the boa
changed his tactics. got his body round
some huge blocks of basalt and finally
succeeded in breaking his bonds and get
ting clear of.
When / had assured myself that our
prey had escaped US and that all search |
for the reptile in the neighbOrhood would
be futile my disappointment was very |
great, for much doubted If a like opp0r-
tunity would ever present itSef.
SWALLOWED BY A HOA.
1t is only on rare occa sions that acsi- !
dents arc caused by these enormous |
reptiles. ! once knew OF a man becoming !
their victim. II happened thus:
This man having committed some Of
cavern. His father, who alone knew the
place Of his cOncea lment, visited him &C
casiOnaiiy to supply him with food. One
day he found in place Ut his son an ener-
nous boa sleeping. He killed it, and
found his son in its stomach The poor
wretch had been surprised in the night,
crushed to death, and swallowed. The
curate OF the village, who had cone in
quest Of the body to give it burial, and
" no saw the remains iof the boa, describ-
ed them to me as being of an almost in
credible size. ~
Unfortunately this circumstance hap
pened at a considerable distance from my
habitation, and iowas only made ac-
Quanted win the particulars when it :
was too late to verify them myself; but,
still, there is nothing surprising that q I
boa which can swallow a deer should as
easily swallow q man. Several other :
leafs of Il similar mature were related to .
me by the lndians.p They told me of their :
who, roaming about the woods, +,
had been seized by. b0as, crushed against :
trees, and afterwards devOured: but was ;
always on my guard against Indian tales +
and am only able to verify positively the +
instance have Just cited, which was re-
ated to me by the curate of the village y
as well as by many other witnesses. =
Still there would he nothing surprising n
hat a similar accident should occur more | r
Than once. Il
The boa is one of the serpents the least i,
OF an exceedingly venomous d
description is one which the Indians call n
ia.On- paiay trice leaf. Burning with q Q
ed-hot ember is the only antidOte to it's |,
bite: Ii that be not promptly resorted to v
lorribie sufferings are followed by certain ri
ieath.
The aim mOrani is another kind. eight s.
pr 10 feet long, and, If anything, more d
dangerous still than the rice leaf" mas il
much as it's bite is deeper, and more diff G.
cult to cauteriSe. ! was never bitten by I
my OF these reptiles, despite the slight i
)recautiOn ] observed i'm wandering about I.
he woods by night as we'll as by day.
Twice only endangered myself. The p
irst time was 10y treading upon a da,on- b
'aiay. ! was warned by movement l.