Washington sentinel., 1898-01-15
A BattIe with the Hymandras.


plenty of them about, although. as
yet we had seen none, was soon
proved by one OF the Goorkhas,
who threw stone at the trunk oil
a large fig tree close by. The crash
OF the stone had hardly reached
our ears, when instantly black
and yellow thing slid to the
ground, looked around for a mo-
nent, and then, head up, with a
horrible Kissing, went like an arrow
stfaight for the man. The plucky
cnap, whipping off his jacket, held
il in front of him and stood his
ground. singing out to us not to
shoot. We had all instinctively
raised our guns. The HYmandra,
blinded with passion, made great
spring, and struck the jacket with
such force, that he actually dashed
it right into the mans face, nearly
knocking him over as well. The
next moment his cane sang through
the air, and there was one dead
Hymandra.
This incident pleased us. 1t
showed the excellent stuff the fell
low was made of. We had a sand.
wich and pull at our TASKS, and
then began to make our arrange
ments. My idea with the netting
was to pitch it in a circle large
enough TO hold US all easilY-stak-
ing it upright strongly; and then
to fire some grass close by and
retreat into the citadel. The brutes
would be sure TO go for US when
the fire drove them out, and we
would stand inside our ring fence,
and kill them as they tried to climb
It. The fence, by-the-bYe, was to
have a barbed wire run along its
top. Half an hour sufhced to pre-
pare all this on a nice little piece OF
rising ground. Then, alter collect
ing a lot Of stones inside, and lay
ing our guns out all handy, we
fired the long grass in the ravine,
and hastily retreated into our net
ting. confess some tremors
seized me as, cane in hand, we
waited whilst the Goorkhas flung
stones into the thickets and | lls-
tened for the cracking of the
flames. But the ring fence made
a splendid little fort-four feet
high, staked with a strong upright
every three feet, the bottom well
pegged, and with a thick piece of
heavily barbed wire run from stake
to stake along the top.
But we hadn't long TO think. AS
the flames rose and the smoke be-
gan to rise from the still dewy stuff,
a great rustling was apparent amid
the strangely waving reeds and
grass. A horrible kissing filed the
air with an indescribable noise
Then a heavy scent, not unlike
valerian, became apparent. and the
next minute dozens of wriggling,
crawling, black and yellow bodies
appeared, cleaning in the fierce
sunshine--dozens OF ferocious
Hymandrasl BY Jovel we had
reused them with a vengeance.
We need not have bothered about
the stone throwing to stir m ore up.
l had never seen or dreamed of so
many snakes together, and as l
glanced at the compressed lips Of
my companions and then at the
netting, the barrier looked horribly
low. / confess that l again felt
dubious as to the results of the ad-
venture.
On they came. First one by one,
then in threes, in bunches--in
dozens. The Leading ones caught
sight Of our little band In a sec
ond up went their heads. and at us
they came, In sort of CHASTITY fol-
low-my-leader fashion. 1t was an
unnerving sight. They had about
sixty yards of open ground to cross
before reaching the netting, and
this army Of kissing, sinuous bodies
was exposed to two voileys from
our breech leaders, which strewed
a score Of them in manned, writh-
ing, knotted heaps; but this never
stopped the main army in the least.
Then there ensued horrible scene.
We began quietly enough, but as
the lust Of battle and slaughter
seized upon us it all became to me
a sort Of chaos, of rafting re e3orts,
fierce yells and curses, smoke and
heat, as the flames from the burn
ing Jungle we're waited by the wind
towards US; and over all that over
powering scent OF valerian. Forms
of shouting men were see dimly
through the enveloping cloud
striking at half invisible toes, as
the fierce, disten6ed jaws and
quivering tongues Of the horrible
brutes came up above the netting;
while the swish Of the swinging
canes, whistling through the air,
was followed by a curious "thuck"
as they hit the supple, firm, body
Of the snake.
AT last, what with the heat from
the burning jungle, our failing
strength. and the apparently end
less number OF the brutes, who
were beginning TO surround us en-
tirely, IL was getting too warm to
stay. We decided to slip out be-
hind our netting and to cut and run
to a hilla hundred yards off, which
hads stony top and stood fairly
high. / do not think ever sprinted
so fast before. Ensconced on the
hill, we were able, whilst regaining
breath, to watch what was happen
ing below in our deserted fort.
The brutes were still swarming at