The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-06-17

movements makes 1t still more to b.
dreaded; it will dodge blow from Q
stick and strike back before its op.
ponent has time to recover. And
here was l, shut up, through my own
stupidity, with a serpent of this de.
scription, which appeared to me to be
| about twelve feet in length.
Meanwhile the brute, finding its
retreat cut off, turned toward me
again; / could see its evil looking
eyes scintillating in the dim light OF
the candle. l caught up some
weights and hurled them at it, in the
hope of injuring it sufficiently to stop
it from springing, but this only had
the effect of still further incensing
the mamba, and it gathered itself to-
gether to attack me. Promptly !
jumped up to get on the other side of
the counter. In my hurry, keeping
my eyes all the time on the snake, ]
upset the candle and sent it flying
leaving myself in total darkness!
My feelings at that moment were
not exactly enviable. Searching has.
tily in my pocket for match found,
to my dismay, that l must have left
them by the chair where l had been
smoking outside, and the stock Of
matches in the store was at the other
end, with the snake barring the road!
Just then / heard the mamba, with a
loud hiss, hit the thin wood lining in
front of the counter as it struck out
in my direction. Thinking that it
was trying to get at me over the
counter, lashed out wildly to right
and left with my stick, but beyond
clearing the counter and bringing a
shower of articles from the shelves
about me did no harm to the snake
except to rouse it to still greater fury.
I could hear the brute striking
continually - anywhere and every
where it seemed to me-hissing with
rage meanwhile, the thud of its blows
sounding loud against the wood lin
ing. Standing helplessly there in the
darkness, with death in hideous shape
coming nearer and nearer, realized
to the full the horror of my position.
To say was in blue funk is no ex-
aggeration; l felt cold, my skin
seemed to creep, and, If my hair did
not actually stand on end, l exper-
fenced all the sensations of its doing
so. / continued slashing wildly, how
ever, expecting every moment to feel
a blow and the deadly fangs buried
in my flesh. But the strain was get
ting too much for my nerves, and
felt like screaming when I heard the
little door between the counter and
front of the store fly back with
thud. The snake, striking furiously
all along the front of the counter,
had at last come to the door. Not
being bolted the force of the blow
had sent it crasing back.
The noise of that opening door
brought me to my senes, for I knew
now where my enemy was. Thinking
the snake was coming round to the
back of the counter I Immediately
jumped on top, my head coming into
violent contact with boots and other
articles hanging from the ceiling.
Wrenching them from the hooks 1
threw them in the direction where l
thought the snake was, and then took
flying leap toward the door.
Next instant l gave a terrified yell,
for I came down right on top of the
mamba, feeling the snakes body give
and turn under my foot! l was now
fairly demoralized, and almost mad
with terror. Wrenching open the
door, leapt out and slammed it hard
behind me, well nigh fainting when
I got out into the cool evening air.
Making for my hut, l got some stim-
ulant, which brought me round.
Next morning, with couple of
cartridges in. my shotgun, l went to
the store, and, opening the door soft
ly, beheld the cause of my fright ly-
ing coiled up peacefully on some
sacks. raised the weapon, pulled
the trigger, and the charge of No. 5
did its work. l told the boys to
bring the snake outside, and, getting
a rule, measured the mamba, finding
him to be ten feet nine inches in
length, the finest / have ever seen.
On examining the woodwork of
the counter we could see the marks
of the fangs where the brute had
struck again and again in his blind
fury. Whenever I go to kill snake
now I generally take double-bar-
relied shotgun with me in case of ac-
cidents.-From the Wide World Mag
azine.