The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1906-11-06
d THE MAN AND THE SNAKE Nl

BY f. MIRRIELES.

shadow fell across his face its eyes,
beadlke and listening and greedy,
looked straight into his own.
For an inStan: they stared thus, man
and bird. Then with a cry the man
flung himself against his bonds, strug-
CLING ana straining at them for es-
cape from this new horror On his
body, dry till now, the sweat poured
forth in streams. Blood gushcd from
his nostrls. With shriekS. with oaths,
with stumbling words of prayer. he
fought against the fate which held
him.
Not once but many times the strug-
Gle was repeated. When at last, ex-
hausted. his convuscd body fell back
20 Cu,cj. Tie bird was gone. Shuddcr-
ingy the man raised his eyes. Far
up, half lost in blue. but ready, tire
less. it hung above him.
God" breathed the prisoner, "God :"
and turning his blanched cheek TO the
sand, he fell into a sort of sleep.
All through the waning day he slept,
through the approach of night and the
swift desert change from heat to cold
When lie awoile the first pale amethyst
of dawn was i'm the sky. The snake
WIS sleeping, not as snakes are wont
to sleep in freedom, head tucked TO
tail and sihuous fold tapping on fold.
but with his swollen body back thrown
and stiGencd against the stake which
held him, caught mid-strugglc by insen-
sibility.
The man turned his head to face
him.
Hey, rattler" he called cheerily,
ana scrapod some grains of sand
toward the recumbent body.
But when ne saw the start and
Shuddcr with which the creature woke,
the anguish Of returning consciousness,
suddenly he was sorry FOR his act
When the snake, writhing round
struck at its cord Quivering from head
to tail, he would have given an hour
Of his own rest TO have restored the
sleep which he had broken.
The sun rose presently. Again the
weary panorama of the day unrolled
before the eyes of the two .ictims.
The snake was quiet, weakened by his
long struggle. The man, strengthened
by sleep, restored by the nights cold,
held himself strongly in hand.
Sometimes, indeed. the growing heat
drew from his lips Il broken sigh
Sometimes. birds, many now, swoopcd
low around him with hoarse cries and
happing of heavy wings at such times
his whole body grew tense beneath
the stress of almost uncomfortable
disgust and terror But he lay still.
Not for his reasons sake dared he
again give way to the expression of
fear II was comfort TO him in
these moments that the snake showed
no apprehension Of their gruesome
neighbors or eyed them only with the
avid eyes Of hunger. Watching the
indifference of the reptile, the man
feared less. Fixing his eyes upon it,
ne could hold hard TO sanity and to
endurance. though around him perched
and lowered che yulture ministers of
death.
But as the morning passed n new
anxiety should die firstF ] seemed 10
weaken with every hour ana the man
trcmblcd. lie spoke to &c soothiugly
at times ana had, or believed he had,
the power Of quoting it's paroxyms
I'm his fcvercd mind he searched halt
ingly for some knowledge Of it's needs
Would it live longer for the taking of
lifef And if by stretching out his
hand be could delay lbs end. what then
Of the lengthcning Of its pain? Before
his dimming eyes, the snake doomed.
now a refuge. now a menace. a dozen
times, ne half relaxed his hand only
la % .fr-
when the snake fell I'm it's spring. seem
.uely dead, hc thrust the fingers wide
with cry of utter deprivation. When
be moved again he drew them i'm. the
instructive love of life still strong
upon him.
buzzard had risen at his cry and
pcrchcd ON ihc sage brush at his head.
Tie studied 30 quietly for "a while. IT'S
course dragglc1 feathers. its filmed
eyes and cruel bcuk When the scrutiny
lad grown iulolcrablc. hc strovc to
shout to scare &C. from IT'S place. Ills
voice come dry and GREATNESS
scarcely % whisper. and the bird
swayed back and forth unmoyrd.
Tie closed liis eyes after this ana
for a long time luy still. only rolling
h.s head from side To- side that tbo
vu',Wes might not light upon Ibis
body
ST last when The sum lay low ON
Tine horizon ho ceased tha movement
and as1in looked about hm Overhead
cloud of birds scared by the sudden
quiet hung high boz air.; swarms of
ants and lesser insects crawled and fed
upon his arms and body tho sogo-
brush oll around rustlcd with puueent
dryucss and To- thc west Tine sky burn
dyncs aud to lhe west the SKY burned
hard and bright as FURNISHED copper
For long time me waited. Thon
with q sohbIng breath Doe flung round
siraInng Dis holy against tbe cords
which held lnm