The suburban citizen., 1901-06-08

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The men continued to look under
various things, likely and unlikely;
and presently they discovered a broad
mark which seemed to be the trail of
the serpent, leading under the cook
house. A close examination confirmed
this theory, and then it was also re-
ported that no similar trail could be
found leading out. a carpenter was
hGrriedly sent for to remove the
boards from the floor.
Now many courageous men have
such an inborl 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 If we should really
encounter 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 as
if we had been seeking a lost piece Of
rope.
Fortunately the floor boards Of the
cook house were nine inches wide, and
in a short time one of them was re-
moved. Down went four heads, and
all four came up again, very hastily:
There he is"
Close beside the opening in the door
lay about n bushel of big brown and
yellow coils, and above the pile hov-
cred the massive head of the python,
threatening TO strike the first living
thing that came within reach. The
noise and jar of,the carpenters efforts
in removing the board had greatly IT.
rltated the reptile.
Mr.. Ditmar-, cur curator of reptiles,
had provided himself with q large bag
of heavy cloth, hoping TO be able to
throw it moutht downward over the
coils of the serpent-the usual way of
capturing snakes at large. But there
was not sufficient space between the
floor and the serpent 20 carry this plan
into effect; and moreover, the serpent's
head was altogether too threatening.
Pending further efforts, we procured
boards and endoavored to cut off the
python's escape, front and rear.
The python waited until we had
placed the boards to the best possible
advantage, then uncoiled himself,
showed the boards out of position as
if they had been so many straws put
there for his amusement, and quickly
disappeared under the Gnt-eater'S cage.
The carpenter fell to work again to
remove several other boards OF the
floor, while the messenger boys were
stationed outside the building to see
that our quarry did not get out and es-
cape to the forest.
In a short time tho python'1 head
again appeared at one of the long,
narrow openings made by the carpen-
ter, but as Mr.. Ditmars took a favor
able position for grabbing the crea-
ture by the neck, Close up to the Jaws,
it struck at him most viciously.
Look cut" cried some one, en-
phat.cally.
Clearly, It would not do for any Of
our men to be seized by that savage
creature; for although the python was
OF course not poisonous, and although
we might even prevent it from wrap
ping itself around any one Of us, the
laceration Of a mans hand by that biz,
muscular mouth, filed with four rows
Of hook-iike, backwGrd-po,nting teeth,
would have been q serious matter.
Presently the snake left its place IN
der the ant-eat,rs cage, gliding along
the side Of the building farthest from
the door, alert aggressive, and so
ready to strike any enc who came near
its head that forbade the men to
/ take risks. .,-
AS it's five yards Of length samicir.
| cled around the cool;-Stove, part Of It's
body passed under one Of the hooi
openings. This was our opportunity
and in an instant two Of us seized ii
and triumphGntly hauled up about six
feet OF the serpents body and tail.
How big and muscular i. was! IT.
skin was as smooth and glossy as sat
in and cleaned with rainbow rides
cance. 1t wrlthed ard worked IN oui
grasp, and pulled downward with sucl
power that it required all the strength
Of the chief forester and myself f,
retain any portion Of It within OF,
grasp, We brace ourselves, heayeC
hard, CnI by main strength tried Il
pull the python out backward; but no
one inch could we gain. On the con
trary, inches were drawn away from
us in spite Of all we could do. l be
l!eya that ten men could not hay,
pulled that python out backward, al
though they night possibly have torl
it in two.
All this tine Mr. Ditma-s kept tryinj
to seize the python by the neck, but j
was constaluy alert, anxious TO sei2
him, and gave him no oppoctunlt,
whatever. 1t was evident that witt
our unalded hands we never coul,
master that savage creature withou
an accident to some one.
Bidding keeper take my place n
the tail hold' and hang on with al
MS strength l ran to the storeroom
and with two yards Of mason's line
n long, thin hammer-handle OF hickolr
and a staple nurrledly driven into tn