Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-06-21

The devastated island of Martinique
has suffered from something beside
volcanic eruptions. The stupendous
explosions have undoubtedly killed
tens of thousands of the deadly snakes
known as the fer de lance, or iron
lance in English, but enough probably
remain to make the work of succor
one of great peril. The negro labor
ers. who know the haunts of these ser
pents, decline to toll in the localities
where they were known to abound.
This is why many of them refuse to
work for three or four times the or
binary pay to bury the dead at st.
Pierre. for they believe the snakes
have been driven to the coast by the
volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee.
Even in India there is nothing more
venomous than the crawling monster
of Martinique and last year over 1000
persons succumbed to the virus in
1ected into them from the fangs of
this serpent. This is higher ratio
of mortality from this source, popula-
ton considered, than anything India
can show.
The fer de lance is an importation
from Trinidad. The reptiles were Ia
ken to Martinique to exterminate the
ugly tropical rats which made life mis-
erable there. The snakes soon sue
ceeded in their mission, but the cure
proved as bad as the disease. Thou
sands of persons were fatally bitten
by the snakes until terror reigned
among those exposed to the crawling
InVr
number of secretary birds were
brought from South America and let
loose over the island. The birds are
ravenous snake eaters and soon
rounded up the serpents and made hu-
man life tolerably certain again.
When this had been accomplished,
Dame fashion ordained that the rich
ly colored feathers of the birds should
be worn as an adornment to women's
headgear. Under this decree the vul-
lures steadily disappeared before the
shotguns of the islanders until their
usefulness was destroyed. Then the
fer de lance came forth from his hid
ing place and the mountains and re-
sumed his attacks upon human beings
until terrorism prevails once more.
The snake is apt to reach down from
the caves of the house or shack and
strike when least expected. The trop-
ical vegetation, so luxurious, is an aid
to the concealment of his Shiny pres
ence, and helps him in his attack
upon man ana beast. In the lawn or
park he is nesting in shady places and
the wise avoid these resorts.
,. ,f fon
and some have been known to length
en- to twelve. His color is generally
yellow, sometimes grayish, and again
brown. The head is large and re-
markable for a triangular space the
thin angles of which are occupied by
the muzzle and the eyes. 1t darts aft
er its prey with the speed of lightning.
1t is a game species. 1t never gets
out of the way of any obstacle, human
or otherwise. 1t fights till it dies,
neither asking nor giving quarter. 1t
will attack an OK or horse as readily
as a lizard or a rat. upon which it
chiefly feeds, and it always comes off
victor Its poison is deadly at some
seasons of the year more than at 9TH
ers. Children have been bitten by
them and have died in few minutes,
putrefaction setting in SO rapidly that
burial had to follow in two hours. The
sugar cane field is favorite place for
the viper The negroes working in
them are often attacked and some
times one snake will bite a dozen be-
fore it concludes to quit. Usually the
poison kills every one who is bitten,
1t is pitiable sight when negroes are
thus waylaid. Their screams for help
can be heard long way off and their
appeals touch the heart. Work for the
day is stopped, as apart from the sor-
row for the stricken, safety urges that
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