The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-25
GUIANA A COUNTRY
FULL OF SNAKES.
Scores OF Varieties Whose Bite
Is Almost Certain
Death.
MANY vENoMoUs REPTILES
No Other Land Where They Are So
Abundant - Workmen In the
Junyles Have Antidotes

n
on the face OF the earth to
equal Dutch Guiana In that respect.
There they have large snakes and small
snakes, red snakes and green snakes
anber-coiored snakes and golden snakes
snakes harmless and snakes deadly
round-headed snakes and fiat-headed
snakes. and snakes ranging through the
entire Hist OF colors from mud-gray to
striped orange and red.
IF you are tenderfoot IN the country,
before you leave Paramaribo for the gold
fields In the jungle tho natives will warn
you against the snakes. On the way 10
the fields, 400 miles up the river In ca
noe you can shoot q dosen or moro water
snakes II you are watchfuL Once in
camp and accustomed TO precautions
before you get into your hammock at
night you turn II inside out to GUST a
possible parrot snake that may have
taken kindly to your bed. During the
night. " you are called upon 10 leave
camp you pick your way along the jungle
trail with lantern held low 10 light
every inch you traverse. In the morn
ing. when you come to the embers Of
your camp FIRE you will find a bunch OF
snakes curied up around one another to
keep on the chill Of the night In the
warm ashes. And SO II is, snakes.
snakes. snakes. Throughout 5000 square
miles OF jungle II Ii one continuous
snake paradise
Barring death by Jungle fever, more
miners and prospcctors are annually
taken OF by snake bites than by any
other means Human life In that coun-
try means less than It docs here. and so
II ts that mine owners do not compel
their negroes 10 wear shoes. and so II II
also that In the brushwood surrounding
some OF the older camps there are scat
tered mounds bearing neither name nor
inscription. but pointed out occasionally
by veteran miners as the place Of SO
and so, poor devil. bitten by q snake
"one OF the most grewsome sights
ever witnessed was an attack by vultures
on the body Of dead snake. We were
pulling up the Saramacca river one aft
ernoon In mining boat A dozen me-
groes were pulling their hearts out on
the oars trying 10 yank the heavy boat
around a sharp bend against a rushing
current. Foot by foot tho boat crawled
along. hngsing close to tho shore under
maze Of evcrhanging bushes. The
naked black backs OF the rowers dripred
Precipitation TIL their ebony hides glisi-
ened as II creased with oil.
Suddenly a black streak shot down
from the brush and with curse and
cry OF pain the bow oar dropped his oar
there was confusion. and amid confused
tahber of Dutch negro dialect the beat
driffed backward. There. stretched
across TIM tops ~ the bushes, summing
himself rs II nothing had happened lay .
long snake with black. shiny back and
nm ofange-coiored belly. The fellow
seemed all OF twelve TO fourteen feet
long. lie ianGuidly raised his head for a
look at the intruders. but that same In
slant there was n shot. The head Drop
ped and the head lay still. We left him
there. intending To pick him up on tho
way home to get his skin.
''About two miles away there was
speek Of a vulture soaring In circles high
in the air. We went our way. Ten min
utes later there were five specks about
enc mile away soaring high IN tho air
We had not bucked another half mile
before we Ind given up hopes % the snake
skin. The buxzards had increased to a
dozen In number and were darting a.
rectiy over the dead snake. as n 20 make
sure that life was extinct. Then. amid
Nereechss. there was combined de-
scent. In n minute they rose their
bsaks fastened into the long limp car
eass. Higher ana higher they carried
their Er.wsome load sili high M IN the
blue SKY a tug of war began. The snake
was torn into sections. One Of these fell
Before u had gone 100 feet one Of the
htrds shot after H. He caught his norrel
before II had fallen another 100 feet
forest. as Did The other vuiiures. and a
scene Of jungle life Mad been acted
''one 90 the most harmless and ono OF
the prestiesi snakes Ia Dutch Guiana IL
the parrot snake. lie IA a little three
foot arrangement. grass green. rink-ryea
and. among snakes, probably the noat
knowing. These little chaps are often
found In camps. Their only objection ln
thar ihev wriggie when you lie down on
them. They become very tame n sncour-
AGED and take readily 10 civilization aud
sugar In return for their board they
keep ths camps clear Of mice and Nlsdnrs
nut for each variety Of harmless
snake In Dutch Guiana there are fiys az
The meet venomuas type. These are
known by their fsai. triangular heads, aud
~ their sluEsishnres. A poisonous
snake fareiy moves cas ~ the way ~ an
intruder. Ite waits 20 strike. aud IL DO
strikes. recovery depends % what anti
Aetes may 10 IT hand For fhia rsam n
every white miner ard every foreman
ever cams II men carries IN his huns-
ing bag bottle az concentrated ammo.
nsn ARD ienfniqgst the pfsoAasssn
taken by white men To that jungle
against snake hifes q 90 wear shirk
wooden saeks and high laced hossts
DtheF1 IN preferences 20 wearing heavy
seots. rae iseEinEs made - canvas iinsd
via strsrs - whAisbens Through these
ftstfH ttsA1#F w ~ t9tttffNfHfNtH fNf NfAAN
70 strike deep ern1Th tnto he flesh 20 tn
ssft sengSn Many sn olf pair ~ boots
~rerrad with snake bites IL treasured "a
A sanmsnte Nv is nwmer. naa II " whnu
rasr Hre~ careless and discard their pro-
ieetioEs tAAt hey are aanxsreysiy BIT
Ten
"&hsn pzaE hns h@~r struck No time
- taken - euFk shs pctso1 out ~ She
w@shd Stre tizles aaf ~ tan fha wound
"a ~ ikk tsN bsiS~ thu kne~ ira ssyte-
Mla1ss ~ siung shost she leg ab1Te the
Seanf. ara SITTER hs4nx drawn ttght.
without waiting 70 suck The poison from
thN wgaa&. ammonia 10 spp{Aes Prem
tisns 70 time TIE iosrnia1et fs foosene1 70
Aiae~ s@zt q the poison TO wefk into ths
systent bus 10 more fhAn ~. system ean
take ear. Of ~ ore tirne ia this Way
nc entire poison 10 gradually we're oar
- ne aystsm Instead q xetting IN ifs
Fen force AZ prre~
RlMi.e-<S errxiaaaez f.shtvn.i,s. -