The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-06-25
A CURSE OF MARTINIQUE
THE FER-DE-LANcE, ONE OF THE
pEADllEST OF SNAKES.

tiles Curious Htstory-Its Deadty Bite.
Former residents Of Martinique say
that the perlls Of any expedition MAX
ing exploration or bringing suocor to
the country about st. Pierre Will be
doubtless gravely increased by the
presence of the fer. defiance.
This serpent. which is the curse OF
the island, is said to b" the deadliest
of snakes outside of India, and the in
habitants of the regions infested by 1t
say that not even tho terrible hooded
cobra innicts death more swiftly or
surely. Says one gentleman who lived
for some years on the island:
UNLESS all the fer-de-lance in the
region of st. Pierre were destroyed by
the eruption there is likely to be con-
siderable mortality from snake bite
for the next few weeks. The gulches
around the city fairly swarm with the
venomous reptiles It is principally
because Of their presence that ascents
of Mont Pelce, otherwise not particu-
larly difficult or hazardous, have been
so infrequent
80 far as we now know the water
courses of the locality have been chok-
ed. The vipers all require moisture,
and the fer-de-lance is very partial to
water Undoubtedly, then, there has
been an exodus from the slopes and
gullies down to the waterfront.
1T is curious fact that in cases oil
seismic disturbance snakes make for
the low land have heard that when
Mont Pelee was disturbed in the middle
IF the last century the fer-de-lance over
ran the streets of the town, although
they are naturally a grassland snake,
and number of people were killed by
them.
Suppose. now, that the shore be-
yond the district where all life has
been blotted out has become the refuge
of these creatures. What will happen
to the men who land there, particu-
larly If they are ignorant of the dan
ger? 1t is not pleasant to think OF.
The defiance does not wait to be
attacked. He Is a born murderer. When
he has once set his venomous mind on
a man he will follow until one or the
other is slain. Add to this natural
leaning the fear and fury of the snakes
at being driven forth from their own
places and | think one can appreciate
that their presence will not be the least
of dangers following the catastrophe"
The history Of the fer-de-lance in
the island of Martinique is peculiar
one. 1t is said that originally this is
land was entirely free from poisonous
snakes, as Cuba is now. 1t was, how
ever overrun with particularly active
and voracious specie of rats. Some
enterprising inhabitant, hearing that
the fer-de-lance was extremely rough
on rats, sent to Trinidad and had some
imported. The visitors did their work.
In a few years 1t was said In Martin
ique that the only surviving rats were
those that had learned to climb trees
and turned into flying squirrels. How
ever that may be, the community soon
found itself confronted by the Mass
achusetts cutworm and English spar
row proposition, but in far more seri-
Gus form, the remedial agents proved
to be worse than the original pest. So
many persons were bitten that work in
the fields came to a standstill. Road
making ceased. 1t was said that no
bitten person recovered except in the
case of woodcnoppers Having their
axes handy they would, If the bite were
on the arm or leg, chop off the member
instantly and thus save their lives. 1t
lecame sort of cast-mark for the
woodsman to have only three out of his
four original limbs.
Then the French government got up
statistics and discovered that in pro-
portion to the population the deathrate
from snakebite was the highest in the
world, worse even than in the centre of
India. A bounty was offered. Bands
of snake hunters went forth to hunt.
Some few of them came back.
At this time there was living in st.
Pierre a former South African. He
had seen the great snake-eating sec
| retary bird of that continent, and at
very considerable expense had sew
eral pairs of the birds sent to him.
His neighbors said he was crazy. They
prophesied that the quickest-witted of
the birds would be flying swiftly
southeast fifteen seconds after they had
first seen fer-de-lance. The secre-
tary birds were turned loose in the in
tested districts. Within a month they
had grown almost too fat to work.
| There was a corresponding diminution
of viperine activity. 1t became quite
a common sight to see a fugitive fer
| defiance darting across some dusty
roadway with the big vulture-like crea-
ture in hot pursuit. Occasionally a
seven-foot snake would give battle. 1t
/ always ended one way. The bird would
receive the viper's blows on its wings
or heavily feathered breast. meantime
dancing upon it with murderous claws,
until the venom was exhausted, when
a driving peck Of the formidable beak
would end the battle.
1t wasn't long before the people Of
st. Pierre could till their fields again.