The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-02
THE DEADLY FER-DE-LANCE.
Danger That Is Likely to Confront
Rescuers at Martinique.
New York Sun.

CNew York SUM
Former residents Of Martinique say
that the perils Of any expedition MAX
ing exploration or bringing succOr to
the country about st. Pierre viii be
doubtless grayely increased by the
presence of the fer-de-lance.
This serpent. which is the curse of
the island, is said to be the deadliest'
of snakes outside of India, and the in
habitants Of the regions infested by It
say that not even the terrible hooded
cobra inficts death more swiftly or
surely. Says one gentleman who lived
for some years on the island;
Unless all the fer-de-lance i'm the
region Of st. Pierre were destroyed by
the eruption, there is likely to be a
considerable mortality from snake bite
for the next few weeks. The gulches
around the city fairly swarm with the
venomous reptiles. 1t is principally
because of their presence that ascents
of Mt Pelee, otherwise not particular
y difficult or hazardous, have been so
infrequent
SO far as we now know the water
courses of the locality have been
chOled- The vipers all require moist
ure. and the fer-de-lanoe is very par
tial to water. Undoubtedly. then. there
has been an exodus from the slopes and
gullies down to the water front
1T is a curious fact that in cases of
seismic disturbance snakes make for
the low land. 7 have heard that when
Mt. Pelee was disturbed in the middle
of the last century the fer-de-l lance
overran the streets Of the town. al
though they are naturally a grass land
snake. and a number of people were
killed by them.
Suppose, now, that the shore beyond
the district where all life has been
blasted out has become the refuge Of
these Features what viii happen to
the men who land there, particularly
If they are ignorant of the danger? 1t
is not pleasant to think Of The fer
defiance does not wait TO be attacked
He is 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 the
dangers following the catastrophe"
The history Of the fer-de-lance in
the island of Martinique is a peculiar
one. 1t is said that originally this ISL
and was entirely free from poisonous
snakes. as Cuba is now. Tt was. how
ever. orerrun with a particularly ac-
tive and voracious species of rats.
Some enterprising inhabitant hearing
that the fer-de-lance was extremely
rough on rats. sent 10 Trinidad and
had some imported The visitors did
their WORK In, q 2 7
in Martinique that the only surviving
rats were those that had learned to
climb trees and turned into hying
squirrels. However that may be. the
community soon found itself confront
ed by the Massachusetts cut worm
and English sparrow proposition, but
in far more serious form, the remedi-
al agents proved to be worse than the
original pests. So many persons were
bitten that work in the fields came to
standstill. ROadmaking ceased. It
was said that no bitten person recov-
cred except in the case Of woOdchOp-
pers. 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. Tt became sort
OF castemark for the WOOdsman to have
only three out of four of his original
limbs.
Then the French government got up
statistics and discovered that i'm pro-
portion to the population the death rate
from snake bite was the highest in
the world worse even than in the cen
ter Of India. 4 bounty was offered.
Bands Of snake hunters went forth 20
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
rotary bird Of that continent. and at a
very considerable expense had several
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 south
east fifteen seconds after they had first
seen "A fer-de-lance. The secretary
birds were turned loose in the infested
districts. Within a month they had
grown almost too fat to work There
was a corresponding diminutiOn Of vi
perine activity 1t became quite q
common sight to see a fugitive fer-de-
. lance darting across some dusty road
way with the big vulture-li5e creature
in hot pursuit. Occasionally a seven
foot snake would give battle. 1t always
ended one way. The bird would receive
he viper's blows on its wings or heav-
ily feathered breast. meantime dan
cingupon il with murderOus claws. until
the venom was exhausted. when a driv-
ing peck of the formidable beak would
end the battle.
1t wasn't long before the people Of st.
Pierre could till their fields again. AS
brood after brood of the feathered AZ
riCans spread abroad the area Of safety
widened. Unfortunately the secretary
. bird is a very striking individual. and
he has a crest of considerable beauty.
not to mention his picturesque tail
feathers. The young ladies of Martin
, ique desired those feathers as MILF
merry. Therefore the youth Of the island
set forth to get them. AS the secre-
tary bird is some four feet long and a
fighter by nature, it is not practicabI
to catch him and pull out his crest and
tail. The Martinique sports went after
him with guns. and soon the places
that had known him kne2 him no more.
Most Of the birds we're. soon killed. as;
they are not shy. regarding themselves
as immune by virtue Of their profess
sion.