The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-06-28
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! Plu1R, Romance
| and Mdventure.
A PYTHON THAI LOVED MUSIC.
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xKa940k3skGe zoos" To Hamburg are
| shipped lions, elephants
| and giraffes, captured in South and
East Africa, tigers from India, hguars
| and tapirs from South America, goril.
| las from the Congo orang-utans from
| Boreno, and, in fact, about every kind
of beast, bird and reptile from all quar-
ters Of the globe.
The warehouses of the two principal
firms engaged in this business are i'll
| teresting places to visit after the ar
rival of a 'beast ship" with new or
unusually large specimens of animal
life.
che narrator made such a visit 4 few
weeks since, on the arrival of re-
markably large, brilliantly marked
python, shipped from Padang, Sum
atra. This cQluDrine giant was be-
spoken by the Austrian government
for zoo at Budapest.
But the story of its capture is even
more interesting that the huge crea-
ture itself, for this python had fallen
victim to its fondness for the notes
Of a violin.
There is a telegraph line extending
| across Sumatra, from padNng, connect
Ing 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
brino, mestiZO from Batavia, edu-
Gated at the industrial school there.
The station is on a hillock in the val
ley of the river Kampar, and is adj
jacent to dense forest, jungle and 4
long morass. 1t is solitary little
matched huts, elevated on posts to n
height of six feet from the ground, to
be more secure from the noxious iE-
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 afte. desultory fashion; and
as 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 gla SIS
windows; but Gambrino had afforded
| ht Ittv sNf tt,.A ell,
set to slide in an aperture in the side
wall 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 a large serpent rise
out Of the high grass, at distance of
seventy or eighty yards.
His first impulse was to get his car
bine and try to shoot the monster, for
ne saw that it was a very large python
and not a desirable neighbor. But
something in the attitude Of the reptile
led him to surmise that it had raised
itself to hear the violin, and he passed
at once to a lively air.
As long as he continued playing the
python remained there, apparer mo
tionless; but when he ceased 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
cideut had gone from his mind-fol
large snakes arc 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 a large
snake sliding across the bamboo plat
form or floor of the little vcranda. Or
looking out with a light, one of the
party saw a huge, mottled python Gid
ing away.
But it was not until the reptile ap
peared third time, raising its heat
near his window, that the telegraphe
became certain that it was really hi:
violin which attracted it.
In tbs meantime the operator at Pa
dang, with whom Gambrino held daily
conversations by wire, had told hin
that the German agent of Il Hambur:
house at that port would pay te!
pounds, English money, for such
python as he described.
Gambrino began scheming to cap
ture the reptile. In one of the hut
at the station there was stored a guam
tity of fiber rope, such as is used il
Sumatra for bridging small rivers ant
ravines.
Gambrlno contrived three larS
nooses from this rope, which he eIe
waited horizontally, on bamboo poles, t
the height of his window, and carr!et
the drawing ends of the nooses insid
the hut.
This was done fter the operator ha
ascertained that at times the snak
would come about the house and rails
its head if it heard the violin.
Some time later the python was be
guiled by the music into raising Ii
head inside one of the nooses, whic
a native, who was ON the watch Will
Gambrino played, instantly jerkc
tight
What followed was exciting. Th
reptile resented the trick with vlgol