The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-05-24
REMARKABLE SNAKE.


wen, OLD man, care say IL . very silly
of me; but can't abide the very idea OF
them, and never shall. Give me tigers, or
bears, or wild elephants, Dick, or anything
else you like in the way of big game-I don't
mind being 'knee-deep in wild beasts, as
that small boy said, in the old story; but
as for snakes-the ugly, crawling, sneaking
things-I simply can't stand them, and
that's all about it!
The speaker was Capt. John Lightfoot,
who had just exchanged into the Sixth light
infantry-then on garrison duty up-country
in northern India-in order to be near his
old school chum and first cousin, Dick
Lance, who was it's regimental surgeon, and
with whom he was now having chat in the
garden attached to the officers quarters.
Scarcely were his last words spoken when
the young captain changed color suddenly,
and, springing hastily back, called out IN a
tone of dismay:
Look, here's one of them now-and a big
one, tool"
"What, snake?" asked his cousin, turn
ing round with a slight start.
And, looking where the other pointed, he
saw, sure enough, something that had all
the appearance of very long, thin, brown
ish -gray serpent, winding in and out among
the bushes It's head was not visible; but
its total length, judging from what could
be seen of it, must have been something
quite phenomenal.
Capt. Lightfoot-over-valiant from sheer
desperation-snatched up a small wood
Ratchet that had been left lying near, and
was just about to deal the monster deadly
blow, when the doctor, suddenly bursting
into loud laugh, caught hold of his arm
and stopped him.
Hold hard, Jack!" he cried; ''why, man,
don't you see it's only the garden hose? A
pretty expensive blow it would have been
if you had chopped it in two, and then had
to get another to make the loss good"
Poor Jack Redeemed to the very tips of his
ears, and his cousin, noticing his confu-
sion, said, kindly:
Never mind, old chap was very nearly
taken in by it myself just at the first go-of;
and, if it comes to that, can't crow over
you on that score, after the adventure that
/ had at Saharunpoor only the other day.
And what was your adventure, then,
Dick?" asked the young officer, eagerly.
'Well, while we were quartered there
had to doctor young civil service chap
called Bob Ellerton-not half bad sort of
fellow, except that he had snakes on the
brain even worse than you, and kept seeing
them everywhere, just as if it was delirium
tremens that he had, instead of simple
fever.
eve got to be great chums at last, he and
I; and when he was beginning to get bet
ter he put me up for the night once or
twice; and so it happened that, one morn
ing about daybreak, l was awakened by a
terrific hullabaloo, and, jumping up, heard
somebody yelling out 'Samp! samp! (snake,
snake!) loud enough to raise the dead.
81 bundled neck-and-crop into Ellerton's
room and found him sitting up in bed, yell
ing and pointing to small green snake
that was hanging over the edge of wicker
table by his bedside.
Il knew that these small snakes are often
the deadliest of all; so l just picked up a
polo stick and with one lick knocked over
snake and table and everything. And what
do you think the snake turned out to be?
Why, the green marker of book that I'd
been reading to him over night, which, way
ing to and fro in the wind, had made a very
presentable snake to poor Bob's haunted i'm
agination, and, for that matter, to NINE
too"
He laughed heartily as he spoke, and
Capt Lightfoot, good deal comforted by
a case so familiar to his own, echoed the
laugh with will.
But all at once the voice of native serv-
ant was heard through the open window be-
hind them, saying plaintively in Hindus-
TAM:
II cannot find it, madam; it is not here!"
There's poor Lofty in a fix again." said
Capt Lightfoot, with grin; "she seems to
have only two employments in life-to lose
something she has got, or to hunt for some
thing she has lost. Well, let us 60 in and
see if we can help her"
ooh, jack" cried Mrs. Lightfoot, rue
fully, as her husband entered, ''isn't it too
bad? | was just mending that stocking of
yours and | put it down somewhere for a
moment, and now it's gone, and | can't
find it anywhere-and you can't imagine
what a hunt I've had all for nothing!
really can't think how it is that my things
are always going a-missing sol"
1t never occurred to the disconsolate lady
that it might be because she was always put
ting them in wrong Places but before either
of the gentlemen could make any reply, in
came one of their brother officers like a
whirlwind
"Hulo, Harry! have you got another
poem to read to us, that you're in such
hurry called out Dr. Lance, with whom
Lieut. Morton's love of scribbling verses
WdS DIS ldNOFlIe d subject OF cndU as JACK
Lightfoot's rooted objection to snakes.
81 came to tell you that Barringford
won't want that black mare of mine this
evening, and that we can have our ride after
all; so just pull on your boots and come
along!"
Capt. Lightfoot, who was a most enthu
siastic horseman, did not wait to be told
twice. He flew to his boots and began put
ting them on; but all at once he yelled out:
GA snake! snake!" and began stamping
his booted foot furiously on the ground, as
if hoping to crush or disable the writing
reptile within.
His cousin and the lieutenant sprang to
his assistance, but ere they could reach him
poor Lightfoot staggered back against the
WALL gasping out:
Its bitten me! I'm done for!'
Mrs. Lightfoot, by way of doing her ut
most to help her husband in his need, set up
dismal scream and fell fainting upon the
lounge behind her.
':Of with your boot, man." cried the doc
tor, catching hold of his cousin, land let me
get at the bite before the venom can
spread"
"And III smash the reptile as it falls out, %
added Harry Morton, standing ali ready
with his riding whip uplifted.
The doctor tore off his cousins boot, and
ELL l,.kx -