Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-01-19

three or four feet from him. | feared
him,
lie was now no longer the graceful
thn-ncckcd tree snake of speckled
green and grcenish yellow. His head
was tlattcncd out, and his neck had
swelled TO an enormous size in COM
parison with the thickness of his body,
1t was bloated up with the air with
which he had inflated himself. The
color of the bloated part was entirely
changed. 1t was now purple, the
skin being stretched so that the scales
were far separated and appeared like
little green spots scattered over its
surface.
Very clearly, he was ready to bite
me. But as | knew that snakes, when
disturbed with q stick. will bite rather
at the stick which touches them than
at the hand that holds it. ! did not
hesitate moment, but poked him
again.
AS | did so, he made a dash at the
stick, and then darted away through
the leaves. so suddenly that ! could
not tell whittier he had gone. The
rapidly with which he disappeared
startled me. If he should always move
as quickly as that. | could have no
chance to catch him in the trees,
Nevertheless, deter mined to follow
him. The men running along on the
ground below and holding him in
view directed me-
He was now farther up the avenue,
lodged in the second tree from that
which he had left. The oaks grew
pretty close together, so that their
branches more or less interlaced.
Thus he glided from one to the other,
and |, without descending would fol-
low him in persistent chase. hop
ing, sooner or later. to catch him. 1t
was no easy work--ths rapid, mon.
key-likc progress from tree to tree,
swinging and springing from branch
to branch and still it was not alto.
gether new to me, for | and my broth
ers had often gone thus quickly, pur-
suing each other for great distances
w anu " luI oNSh lilt ll'to ohhN
our boyhood home. The worst of it
was that could not see the snake.
I had to go entirely by the direction
OF thos" upon the ground beneath.
BY and by | came in sight of him
again. He was dashed in one of the
topmost branches. When approach.
cd close to him he swelled out his
neck and faced me. as if to spring at
nc BCt | did not get so near to him
on this occasion. for | was still eight
feet away, and was just getting ready
to poke him with the stick, when he
darted off afrcsh in the same direc-
ton.
Over and over again he repeated
this running and hating. Perhaps he
thought he could tire me out. If so,
he was mistaken. was too deter
mined to get him. ! dropped the
stick. 50 that | could go faster. On |
wnut after him in mad rush. crash
ing through the branches. When he
would halt. | would sneak gently
through the leaves. so as to get close
to him.
at last he reached the upper end
Of the avenue, and so, painting and
b,eathleSs, did |. He crossed to the
trees on the western side of the road.
way, and | did the same. Down the
western side he now came. but he
made far fewer and shorter halts than
be fore. | was coming on fast behind
him. From one branch to another |
often had to jump. Sometimes, where
the limbs were far apart, a springing
bough beneath me would serve to as
sist the leap by throwing me forward,
till | would alight with clinging hands
on another farther on. Once ! swung
myself ON a yielding branch over
wide vacant space, where the break
| ing of the bough would have precipi.
| tatcd me to death. Still this clase
| through the branches was perhaps
| easier, than a continual ascending
and descending of the trees.
When the hunted boomslange had
| got three-fourths of the way down the
| western side of the avenue, he stopped
once more and showed fight; but after
a vigorous shaking of the branches
| he darted away, and crossing the
avenue upon the overlapping branch
es made another halt on the eastern
side, in the very tree from which the
chase had started nearly half an hour
before.
Like him tried to cross the avenue
upon the interlacing branches, but
their twig-like ends, although stout
enough to bear him. were not sufi-
cient to support me. So | descended
from the trees, crossed the roadway,
and climbed again on the side where
he was. Here ! found him at bay,
dashed in the very tip of branch.
had failed so often in trying to
grab him as he glided along the
branches, that | now resolved to try
another plan, namely: to snare him
by passing running moose over his
head. Consequently | called for my
long stick, which was passed up to me
with the moose fastened to the end of
it. Then | slowly climbed toward
him.
AS usual he faced me. BY moving
very cautiously | succeeded in get
ting within six feet of him; but when
! pushed out the stick. with the moose
dangling from the end of it within a
foot Of his nose, off he darted.
dashed the stick among the leaves in
front of him, and back he turned
| was desperate. | could not grab
him. for he was on the very outer
ends of the branches.
Two were so far apart that there
was an open space of perhaps foul
feet or more between them. Across
this open space he darted, and while
he was passing, down came my stick
on his back, not striking, but pushing
him downward. Just what intended
happened He lost his hold and dowr
to the ground he tumbled; for not