Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1899-02-15
HYPNOTIZED BY A SNAKE.
Narrow Escape i'm Amazon Forest
Guide saved His Life.

Narrow Escape in Amazon Fofes'-
Guide saved His Life.
What in modern days we have ealle.l
hVDnotisn * II thing which. under one
name or another. or unnamed. has eA-
listed as long as animate life III me
world" said Dr. \. q. Brayman, VINO
has devoted considera bile study TO hFp-
notism both as m abstract science anu
I'm its bearing on medical practice. In
the most ancient histories we have cyl
dences Of this force in the belief III me
mower of certain men to bewiich otli-
CPS. which in the Latin races survives
I'm the fear of Tie evil eye. And from
the earliest times in civilized rlifai
communities. as among all savage peo-
pIes. the belief in which doctors-neli
and women who cure ailments by III
carnations Of one sort or other-h;ls
prevailed No doubt these occult heal
ers often accomplish all they profess.
and the secret of the cure Is the hNp-
motto influence they exercise upon The
mind Of the patient
I'm lower forms of animal nature we
find manifestations of this power i'll the
charming OF birds and animals by
snakes. The thing that led me first 10
study this subject was when III boy
hood | saw frog fascinated by il
snake. The snake, which was about
three feet in length. of a non-venomous
species. lay coiled by the roadside, It's
head resting upon its coils. the forked
tongue darling from the mouth, while
it's eyes were fixed OH the frog. which
sat motlonless gazing on the snake
foot away. This was as they were
when found them: how they came to-
gether | could not tell There appar-
emily was nothing TO prevent the frog
from hopping away out of danger. but
he chose TO squat there within reach OF
his inyeterate enemy. ] had an errand
that took me mile beyond. ] left the
two as they were. did my errand, and
hurried back. The snake had retreated
into the long grass. where | found 1t
with the frog half-swallowed, i'll It's
mouth; the frog was fully alive, but
was making no resistance or attempt to
get away from the snake.
Ten years later. on the Amazon Xiv
err. had startling evidence of the
hypnotizing power of the snake family.
In my occupation of collecting bird
skins for mounting | was threading a
forest path carrying in my hand gun
loaded with very fine shot. while my
Indian guide followed. carrying heav-
Ter gun charged with buckshot, To use
in case we should come across IA deer or
jaguar. A bird of brilliant plumage
flew up into a tree which overhung the
path. and as | peered into the foliage
trying to discern the bird | became
aware of something swaying before
my eyes and flashing of prismatic
cOlors. producing on me something Of
the impression of Il Kaleidoscope. SO
unobtrusively had this thing CONE into
view that it dawned only slowly on my
mind. preocupied with the search for
the bird, that the object so softly reach
ing toward me was the head and six
feet of the neck and body of an enor-
nous water boa. From its mouth the
forked tongue was shooting and vibrat-
ing. and changing lights were from its
eyes bent upon me. With my cooked
gun in my hand. / did not think to use
it or run away. but stood gazing. liter
ally spellbound. as the snake, slipping
from the bough on which it lay, adj
vanced its head toward me-
Il heard my guide shout from behind
an angry hiss as the Indian crowded
past me. raising his gun to his shoulder
as he did so. and with the loud crack.
crack. of the two barrels he seized me
with both arms and rushed me bacl,
away from the place. Then l saw the
snake, which had dropped from the
tree. writhing and twisting in the path
AN immense fellow. twenty-eight feet
long and of girth In proportion. Its head
was shattered by the two charges of
buckshot, but the commissions of the
body We're enough to show the reptiles
enormous strength, and give an idea of
how / should have Jared if once II had
thrown it's coils around me- The boa
would have done this In IL few mo-
ments more, the guide told me. and If
he had not rushed to my aid | would
have stood still. fascinated. and never
stirred TO avoid my fate. In other
words. the snake had charmed or
ilypnotzed me beyond all power of re-
SiStauce or retreat"
The Prince and His Daughter.