Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-07-03

we had hurriedly erected cook house.
which In appearance was similar to q
Western claim shanty. 1t stood low
upon the ground, and the most con-
.spicuous object within it was live
". great ant-eater. whose wire house
extended quite across one end Of the
room.
In that portion of the yard where sew
! eral dozen glacs-fronted snake-boxes
were arranged under shed one Of
our carpenters built for the python,
under Mr.. Ditmars's direction, large
box cage, with front Of wire netting
and glass. Compared with the other
snake-b boxes it was very pretentious
affair, as beftted the "star boarder."
The python was expected by express
on certain day, but when ! left the
park at nearly seven o'clock, IT had
not arrived, and seemed very unlikely
to do so that nignl,
I reached the park the following
morning ut half past seven o'clock,
and Was just opening my desk, when
in came my Office boy, red in the face
and breathIess from running
Good moriiidg sir. Mr. DltmaTs
wonld like to have me help hunt for
the ssnalSe. Aiay i 60 HoJys:s e s z. 81
Hunt for what r isissss :. &
The big snake. 1t escaped last
nightp' $. y: -.
.sWhat! That big python?"
Eyes, sir"
.Horrorsr' said 1; and we turned
and ran.
Words could not do the situation
Justice. The, stupid carpenter who
built the pythoRs cage had left big
hole. four inches square, carefully con-
cealed behind rafter in IN upper
corner of the box. The serpent had
arrived late the previous evening, and
dnring the night had found this open
Ing and joyously glided through to
freedom.
To think Of that big serpent ut lib
erty in the Geological Park! had no
great fear that it would harm any one,
but the publicity! The busy place
vas humming with gossipy workmen
from all parts of the city; the report
ers would surely learn of the python's
escape; before my mental vision rose
columns upon columns Of newspaper
articles headed: Terror in the Bronxw
Monster Serpent Loose" "Panic in
the New Zoop' and the thought of all
this was more appalling to me than
3 the countenance Of any wild beast I
had ever met. Great would be the
surprise and chagrin of the Geological
4 Society, and the humiliation would be
almost unbearable. Truly, this was
pretty way to start new Geological
Park!
At the animal yard found dozen
men and boys at work very quietly,
q like sensible fellows. trying to find
the vanished python. My first act was
to send for several more men and
start them searching systematically,
4 but without any noise or fuss, through
s every Square yard Of the low bushes
outside. Their orders were to search
In ever widening circles, discover the
snake If possible, and in the event of
doing SO, silently to mark the spot and
bring word to me. Leaving this part
OF the hunt In full progress, returned
to the yard.
1t seemed probable that the python
had crawled under some one of the
many cages, platforms or buildings,
Under several Of which it could easily
have found refuge. If 1t had gone un-
der anything else than the big, spread
ing storehouse building, which was
thirty-fye feet wide by one hundred
and thirty feet long, we might find 1t
before 1T could escape into the forest.
If, however, it had hidden under that
extensive building, we were in q
quandary.
The men continued to look under
various things. likely and unlikely;
and presently they discovered broad
markwhich seemed to be the trail of
8 the serpent, leading under the cook
House A close examination confirmed
sssfiis theory, and then it was also re-
ported that nc, similar trail could be
found leading out. a carpenter was
hurriedly. sent for to remove the
boards from the floor.
81 Now many courageous, men have
such an inborn aversion to snakes that
: the touch Of a serpent's body seems TO
create in them an entire new system
Of nerves, and I wondered how my
men would act II we should really
epcounter that creature with the beady
brown eyes. forked tongue, and teeth
all pointing inward the wrong way
for an assailant. UP to that point
the search had gone on as quietly rs
if we had been seeking lost piece Of
Fortunately the floor boards OF the
cook house were nine inches wide, and
in short time one Of them was re-
moved. Down went four heads, and