Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-09-24
NEW SUPPLY OF
SNAKE STORIES.
THERE'S A YARN FROM OUT THE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AYERS
THAT A BOA SWALLOWED HIS
LEG-HOW THE MONSTER DIS
GORGED.

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Jorgensen during their enforced stay in
the islands. This story, from the pen
of a mustered-out volunteer now in
San Francisco, displays a proficiency
with the weapon Of a picturesque liar
cious soldier tells of a voracious snake,
and here is his simple tale:
Eyes, | saw some hard fighting, but
the only time | was really scared was
by a snake. They say that those huge
boas that the natives keep in their
houses to catch rats are harmless. l
know better. l had been with my com
pany under fire all day, and as night
come on lost my way in the swamp
and was separated from my command
completely. Frustrated with the heat,
often unconscious for a time, / had lost
my gun and everything and lay down
! to wait for morning near a deserted
shack, where some native had once had
a home, and I was Don fast asleep. 1
had lost one shoe in the swamp, and
my bare foot had been severely cut and
~scratchedsin my race for life, and as |
went to sleep it panied me so as TO
affect my dreams. I dreamed that l
was still in the swamp and that my left
foot and leg were so heavy that | was
being slowly pulled down into the mud
by them and that the swamp was boil
ing hot. l walked to find the pain in
my foot intolerable, though dulled by
the feeling we experience when we say
a limb is asleep. / felt that I could not
move my leg. l sat up and looked at
it, and put my hand under my knee
and gave it a pull. In the dim light
my leg seemed to extend off into the
jungle Indefinitely. Then / felt a
twinge of pain and a m Of some
thing gripping me about the shin.
Wide awake and excited now, I saw
that was being swallowed by a huge
boa. My swollen, bleeding foot had at
tracted him, and he had already swal-
lowed it, and vas taking down my leg
inch by inch, by those slow automatic
pulsations with which horrible rep
tiles get themselves outside their prey.
l ran my hand over the creatures head
and eyes, | felt Of his great lower jaw
beneath my calf, I struck the head with
my fist, | screamed and yelled for help,
| struggled to a vertical position, bend
ing the snakes body upward, and even
fell over upon him, but all had no
UAOCSs IL oN eILlOW Ing Mtuj III. Every
minute | would feel a prickling sensa-
ton an inch higher up on my leg, and
a sense of suction, and was aware
that was an inch deeper down in the
monsters anatomy.
Then | lay quiet for a moment
thinking for my life. Each gulp of the
snake sent a sickening chill over my
body, but my head was clear. 1
thought with some satisfaction that
the boa could swallow only one leg
since he had not started upon both.
Yet l knew that he would never will
lingly ~disgorge the part of me he al
ready possessed, and unless l was
found early in the morning, my chance
of life was small. l had no knife, nor
gun, but l was able to reach a good
bamboo club and l began to beat the
great. serpent on the body, and over the
head, too, as hard as l could. But my
blowes hurt my leg inside the snake
more than they seemed t 0 hurt him.
AT any rate, the swallowing went
on, and the snakes nose had reached
my kneecap. l had nothing in nv
pockets but my pipe and tobacco and
matchbox. Should / smoke and wait
the turn Of events ?No, | would make a
fire and see If | could roast his snake
ship while he swallowed me. Forum
ately a pile Of debris from the house,
consisting in part Of broken furniture,
implements and the like, lay not far
from the snakes body, and, doubling
him over, | reached it, and soon kind
led it into a lively flame. Then.
reaching out with my hands and
stretching my body toward some bushes
that grew 10 the right, l caught a
young bamboo firmly and dragged the
great hose Of the boa's body squarely
across the fire. AT first he didn't seem
to mind it much, but presently he be-
gan a series of most vigorous and
powerful lashings with that 1.-THE and
tremendous body and tail often nearly
pulling me from my hold on the tree
and twisting my leg until it seemed he
would wrench it from it's socket.
"And yet those automatic waves of
swallowing were not checked. l felt
the creatures head inclose my knee,
and, indeed, I am sure the glups by
which l was being taken in were quick
ened as the monsters blood was warm
ed up in the fame. I could not readily
see what was going on in the fire, but
1 was sure it was burning hotly, be-
cause / soon felt the heat on my toes
inside the snakes skin. This sensa-
ton increased, and soon realized that
If / was roasting the snake my foot
was being boiled at the same time.
1T was a terrific and protracted
struggle. Sometimes my feet and legs
were dragged around sidewise till the
snakes body was out or the fire; some
times | was pulled backwards till my
free foot was kicking about in the fire.
brands. But the boa's evoluriOns were
aimiess. the mere result Of pain. while
my efforts were always intelligently
directed toward the keeping Of his body
across the fire. Occasionally ! could
free one hand and find a piece Of wood
that l could throw on the FIRE, and
after a while, perhaps fifteen minutes.
though ii seemed as many hours. / was
sure that the snakes lashings and
ceilings were weaker, though even yet
the mouth was advancing up my leg.
But | now let go my tree. rolled and
crept about and secured more fuel, and
soon had the satisfaction OF seeing that
my enemy was burned to a crisp in the
middle, though the tail seemed still
alive, as well as the head. My foot,
I was sure, would o o drop OF al the