The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1905-06-22
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ana glrahes, captured in South and
East Africa. tigers from India, 1aguars
ana fapirs from South America. gorll-
las from the Congo, orang- utans from
Boreno. and, in fact, about every kind
OF beast, bird and reptile from all quar-
tiers of The globe.
che warehouses of the two PRINCIPAL
firms engaged in this business are in
tercsting places to visit after the ar
rival of "beast ship" with new or
unusually large specimens of animal
life
The narrator made such visit few
weeks since, on the arrival of a re-
markably large. brilliantly marked
python, shipped from Padang, Sum-
atra- This colubrine giant was be-
spoken by the Austrian government
for n zoo at Budapest.
But the story of its capture is even
more interesting that the huge crea-
ture itself. for this python had fallen
q victim to Its fondness for the notes
of violin.
There is telegraph line extending
across Sumatra. from Padang, connect
1rg that port, by means of submarine
cables, with Batavia and Singapore.
Along this line of land are a number
of interior stations. One of these.
called Pali-lo-pom, has been in charge
of an operator named Carlos Gam
brine, e mestizo from Batavia, edu-
Gated at the Industrial school there.
Tho station is on hillock in the val
ley of the river Kampar, and is ad-
jacent to dense forest, jungle and n
long morass. 1t is solitary little
place. consisting merely of four or five
matched huts, elevated on posts to n
height of six feet from the ground, to
be more secure from the noxious in
sects, reptiles and wild beasts.
The station is at the junction of two
native roads, or trails, along which
the interior trade of tie island is con-
Quoted after Il desultory fashion; and
us g rule Gambrino has little enough to
do, except listen to the ticking of the
instrument, monotonously repeating
messages TO remote points in which he
can feel little interest. For solace and
company. therefore, he frequently has
recourse to his violin.
Thatched houses on posts in Sumatra
are not commonly supplied with glass
windows: but Gambrino had afforded
himself the luxury of two-pane sash.
set 10 slide in an aperture in the side
wal. of his hut, and some FIVE or six
months ago, during the wet season, he
was sitting at this window one after
noon. as he played his violin, when he
saw the head of large serpent rise
out of the high grass, at distance Of
seventy or eighty yards.
His Erst impulse was to get his car
bine and try to shoot the monster, for
he saw that it was a very large python,
and not desirable neighbor. But
something in the attitude of the reptile
led him 10 surmise that it had raised
itself TO hear the violin, and he passed
at once to lively air.
AS long as he continued playing the
python remained there, apparently mo-
tionless: but when he ceased 1t drew
its head dow, and he saw nothing more
OF it that day, although he went out
with his gun to look for it.
Nearly fortnight passed, and the in
cident had gone from his mind-for
large snakes are not uncommon in
Sumatra--when one night, as he was
playing the violin to some native ac-
quaintances who had come to the hut,
they heard the sounds made by large
snake sliding across the bamboo plat
form or floor of the little veranda. On
looking out with light. one of the
party saw huge, mottled python Gid
ing away.
But it was not until the reptile ap
peared a third time, raising its head
hi fhoN ft.a al ahar
became certain that it was really his
violin which attracted it.
In the meantime the operator at Pa
dang. with whom Gambrino held daily
conversations by wire, had told him
that the German agent of Hamburg
house at that port would pay ten
pounds. English money, for such q
python as he described.
Gambrino began scheming to cap
ture the reptile. In one of the huts
at the station there was stored a guam
tity of fiber rope, such as is used in
Sumatra for bridging small rivers and
ravines.
Gambrino contrived three large
waited horizontally, on bamboo poles, to
the height of his window, and carried
the drawing ends of the nooses inside
the hut.
This was done -fter the operator has
ascertained that at times the snake
would come about the house and raise
its head IL it heard the violin.
Some time later the python was be-
guiled by the music into raising its
head inside one of the nooses, which
a native. who was on the watch while
Gainbrino played, instantly jerked
tight.
What followed was exciting. The
reptile resented the trick with vigor,