The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-01-04
LIGHTNING BUGS.
Strange Sight Seen by an After
Dark Traveller in Mexico.

Oulh AltVclCI AL 3ncAlCOs
From the Minneapolis Journal.
II was riding through the jungle the
other night on an eighteen-inch trail.
All was darkness. and such darkncss!"
said an American traveller. II could
feel 1t. I would put my hand Sp before
my face every few minutes to see If
could see it. but the darkness was too
intense. 1t made me very nervous, for
the trails are so little used that tho
brush is apt to be lower than mans
height, and one is in danger of being
brushed from ones saddle in going
along in the dark l felt as though
my head might be brushed from my
shoulders.
"rhe quiet was intense except for
the calls of wild beasts and birds, some
of which sounded to me in my nervous
state like a thousand fiends Even In
the daylight many of the calls sound
more like those of a person than an
animal
MY horse was picking the trail. ana
] had one arm over my head SO as 10
protect myself from the brush over
head, when suddenly I saw a lantern
with IA greenish light ahead of me a
little way, but to one side. My blood
frOze. ] was literally frightened stiff.
In my overwrought state I did not ask
myself what it was. 1t was there, AMI
that was enough. Who says the imag.
inatior is not as bad as the reality
while it lasts? Sometimes, as in this
case. it is only few seconds. but what
agony Of fright can be felt in those
few seconds and what an eternity those
seconds seem.
81 saw the light flash across my
path. then dart back into the jungle
again. BY the time 1t flashed across
my path the second time l came to, as
it We're, from my fright. and realized
that there was no one for perhaps Il
hundred miles around. except the va
tives, and / knew they knew nothing
of lanterns. Besides that, animals
would not dart back and forth. l then
began to see many more of these
greenish lights. There were plenty Of
fire flies darting around but what could
these be? However, they did not hurt
me- and I did not bother them.
II knew they must he winged some
things, as they were high and low and
so must fly. BY degrees / recovered
my composure, and. watching intently.
] thought it--whatever it was--was
small. Arriving at last at an Indians
where ! was to spend the night. went
to bed In a hammock swung under the
rafters, tired out, sore and very much
unnerved. I could not sleep. and lay
with my eyes wide open. turned to the
rafters and matched roof. The ludi-
crous side of my fright and how awful
and real it had been rushed over me.
| called to the Indian, who was hung
up in another hammock few feet
from me, and asked him what it was.
He told ME 'kookoogugu,' or some-
thing that sounded as much like Moth
ing as that. for | had come to Mexico
knowing no Spanish; but as I seemed
so interested and ignorant he made a
funny sound with his lips a few times
and down the insect flew--for insect z
was. He captured it and gave ii to me-
1T was Il large black snap beetl.
with two large greenish lights. which
I supposed to be its eyes. but upon
carefully examining it found they We're
not. 1t also had streak of this same
light under its body. The light was
luminous, shedding its rays quite a
few inches, this making it appear at Il
dinstance quite large as an ordinary
lantern. Well. after that ! went to
sleep and slept well.
II often laugh when think the most
horrible fright ! ever experienced was
caused by a harmless little lightning
bug"