Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-09-28
SWALLOWED BY 4 BOA.
A SOLDIERS rRRRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN
AN EASTERN JUNGLE.

Uu1y ru1e uuo kOaSsSu Ms "SnssSS -
Two-.-Became DelIrIeus aad Was Saved
BY Woman.
Soldiers returning from the Philip
pines give evidence Of having prac-
ticed with the long bow as well as
the Krag- Jorgensen during their en-
forced stay In the islands. This story,
from the pen of mustered-out volun-
teer, now In San Francisco, displays a
proficiency with the weapon of pic
turesque liar that is positively start
ling. The veracious, soldier tells of a
voracious snake, and here is his sim
pie tale:
Eyes, I saw some hard fighting, but
the only time,I was really scared was
by snake. They say that those huge
boas that the natives keep In their
houses to catch rates are harmless.
know better. / had been with my
company under fire all day, and as
night came on lost my way In the
swamp and was separated from my
command completely. Frustrated with
the heat, often unconscious for time.
u y
lay down to wait for morning near a
deserted shack, where some native had
once had a home and was soon fast
asleep. / had lost one shoe in the
swamp, and my bare foot had been
severely cut and scratched in my race
for life, and as went to sleep II pain
ed me so as to affect my dreams. l
dreamed that was still in the swamp,
and that my left foot and leg We're
so heavy that / was being slowly pull
ed down into the mud by them, and
that the swamp was boiling hot. /
awakened to find the pain in my foot
intolerable, though dulled by the feel
ing we experience when we say limb
is asleep. l felt that could not move
my leg. sat up and looked at it, and
put my hand under my knee and gave
1t a pull. In the dim light my leg
seemed to extend off into the jungle
indefinitely. Then l felt twinge of
pain and a sense of something grip
ping me about the shin.
"Wide awake and excited now, saw
that was being swallowed by huge
boa. My swollen, bleeding foot had
attracted him, and he had already
swallowed ii, and was swallowing my
leg inch by inch, by those slow auto
matte pulsations with which these hor-
rible reptiles get themselves outside
their prey. / ran my hand over the
creatures head and eyes. / felt his
great lower jaw beneath my calf,
struck the head with my fist, l scream
ed and yelled for help, / struggled to
-ertical position, bent the snake :
body upward, and even fell over upon
him. but all had no effect. The swal-
lowing went on. Every minute l
would feel a prickling sensation an
inch higher up on my leg, and sense
of suction. and was aware that l was
an inch deeper down in the monsters
anatomy.
"Then / lay quiet for moment,
thinking for my life. Each gulp of
the snake sent sickening chill over
my body, but my head was clear.
thought with some satisfaction that
the boa couldn't swallow but one leg,
since he had not started upon both.
| Yet l knew he would never willingly
disgorge the part of me he already
possessed, and unless / was found
early in the morning, my chance of
| life was small. / had no knife nor
gun, but was able to reach good
bamboo club and began to beat the
great serpent on the body, and over
the head, too, as hard as could. But
my blows hurt my leg inside the snake
more than they seemed to hurt him.
"At any rate the swallowing went
on, and the snakes nose had reached
the knee cap. l had nothing in my
pockets but my pipe and tobacco and
match box. SHOULD l smoke and wait
the turn Of events? No. would make
fire and see if l could roast his
snakeship while he swallowed me
Fortunately pile Of debris from thu
house, consisting in part of broker
furniture, implements, and the like
lay not far from the snakes body, and
doubling him over | reached 1t, anC
soon kindled it into a lively flame
Then reaching out with my hands an6
stretching my body toward some
bushes that grew to the right, l caught
young bambooo firmly and dragged
the great hose of the boa's body
squarely across the fire. At first Ii
didn't seem to mind it much, but pres
emily he began series of most Wig
orous and powerful lashings with tina
1.-THE and tremendous body and tail
often nearly pulling me from my holt
on the tree, and twisting my leg til
it seemed he would wrench it from 1t:
socket.
"And yet those automatic waves o.
swallowing were not checked. / fel
the creatures head inclose my knee
and, indeed, l am sure the gulps b.
which / was being taken in wer'
quickened as the monsters blood wa
warmed up in the flame. / could no
readily see what was going on in TIT
fire, but / was sure IL was burnin,
hotly, because l soon felt the heat oil
my toes inside the snakes skin. Thi
sensation increased and soon realized
that If l was roasting the snake IN.
foot was being boiled at the SAM
time.
1T was q terrific and protracte,
struggle. Sometimes my feet and leg
were dragged around sidewise till TIL
snakes body was out Of the fire
sometimes 1 was pulled backward til
my free foot was kicking about II
! tho firebrands Rut the bOa's eyOlrl