The Cairo bulletin., 1908-08-02
600
OURBOYSAND GIRLS
Abdil and the Python
600

Wed been sailing before clever
breeze around the Cape OF Good !
Hope" sad Martin Lester, deep
sea sailer. as he stood in front OF the
New York Maritime Exchange watch |
Ing the brokers, THE good -FOUR +
master Dorethea ,was making goou
rrogress around the Cape ana we
were In happy mood, because SO lar /
we'd not had any of the accidents |
that sometimes befell the barks OF
those days in their long o.stahce
trek.:ir? over the seven seas. we
had M led crew, and one or them, 4
dusky IL from NJ llay was about inc
flnirkiest boy that ever trod deck. A
saecIx of dust was sin to Abdll, as
we knew him, and when seas washed
over us Abdil would be so busy win
a big br ON, brushing the Dcrethea
off that we fairly laughed ourselves
silly.
"A SIT D had been made at Mada-
gascar and we laid p there for
week, ia ding on stores and some
freight that the captain was anxious
to get to Liverpool. Madagascar Is
great on snakes, and We saw penny
Of them in the week that we were
anchored there.
1T was Saturday night when most
of us were in the forepeak around
Geek OF cards and tallow candle
stuck on beam. Abdil didn't play
cards and, besides, he was too busy
see ng there wasn't any spots on the
deck to bother himself with recrea-
tion&
We were occurred with our little
game and we'd forgot about Abdil
when suddenly we heard great
noise on deck. Haw.ins had just
NEEDED four aces or something Ike
that. and we hated to break up the
game, but the noise outside the peak
was something fearful. In few
minutes we lad down the cards and
closed the fo'cs'le quarters so no one
would disturb them and we went out
In body to investigate.
Five days had passed since we
Quit Madagascar and when We lett
there everything aboard the bark
seemed to be all right. Simpson, the
DO sun, had come aboard a bit under
the weather and Madagascar ak,
Tut otherwise everybody was sober
and happy when we set sail south
ward for the Cape.
We'll, when Hawkins and Simp-
k'ns, Jones and Malby came out on
deck with me. we saw Abdil crouch
ed IN a corner near a water barrel
pointing to a coil of rope that lay IN
the centre of the amidship section OF
the deck and which looked ordinary
enough at first glance.
II made a step toward the rope,
when Abdil gave shrek or two and
shouted Sahib! SahibI ! knew when
Malay shouts 'Sahib' in the way
Abdil did there was something wrong
and for a minute I had visions OF
the HiIdoo running amuck on board
the Dorothea with a native knife and
a desire to kill.
suddenly, as we stood waiting for
Abdil to do something, the COLI oil
rope moved over to the further cor
ner Of the deck near the after cabin
Hawkins gave one yell and moved as
to get back to the fore peak. but
grabbed him, having in mind the
four aces.
Then Simpkins gave way to a NJ
OF Mysteries and Jones, the cook, or
dinarily an Englishman of hardened
demealor, showed signs of weaken
ing around the knees.
1t all came to me in an instant
What Abdil told us later showed M
| was right. The Malay had gone Il
clean up the deck and had fount
what he thought was coil or roP
on deck where it should not hay
been. He picked 1t up and starte
away with 1t to the forward dec
when the rope began to slide out o
his arm. He dropped the rope an
looked and saw that he had held tn
coi'ed figure OF a huge python for
least three minutes before tn
brute woke up and uncoiled him
self
LAS soon as it was quite Gear t
me we decided on action and for ha
an hour tried to get a decisive bio
at the snake which seemed ready fc
fight.
THE skipper came out on decl
and after We had had a whack at tn
python with bars and slaves the ca
tan got his revolver and INDUCED
some pistol practice. A minute la
ei one of the shots took effect and
nave the finest snake skin in my
that you ever saw.
Australian Boys Military Trainin