The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-01-14

JlnB over our campfire one nlBnts III
the mountains of Eastern Venezuela,
overlooking the Gulf of Paria.
The Indians were hunting for
orchids, and for snakes, but each OF
us, in his pursuit, had had encoun-
ters with various beasts, birds and
reptiles. Jaguars, monkeys, electric
cells, alligators, boa constructors and
anacondas we talked of.
"I've had many marvellous escapes
from snakes" said Saturnino-"pois-
onous ones, I mean. Boa constructors
and anacondas I don't much mind,
unless they are over fifteen feet long;
but the snake l dread the most, and
by some Ill luck encounter oftenest, is
the sleeper
1.-The sleeper said I. as he
about six feet long, yellow fellow
with big head, a great bitter, aloft
in the branches coiled up and sleep
ing all day?" 1t was the snake known
to scientists as Xiphosoma hortula-
mum that had in mind. He is a true
boa with the anal hooks-concerning
which I had made some important
bClChIlnC OpoCl NatAOhb uhiihb LILY hCoi-
dence in Trinidad in 1890. These
snakes are tree-snakes; they are rare
1y found on the ground. They go
about hunting by night. and feed
largely on tree-rats and birds. They
are great biters, much dreaded by the
people, but really quite innocent Of
venom.
"Yes, yes" said he, "that's the
very one. Many a fine root of orchids
I've had to lose on account of those
same sleepers. I dread them more
than l do the rattlesnake, or even
the bushmaster himself"
20 Saturnino," said I, "you needn't
fear the sleeper! He's not venom
GUS. The bite of rat or mouse
would be much more dangerous.
"Not venomous!" cried both he and
Cipriano together; and they looked
at each other and then at me, smiling
broadly at my ignorance. Then both
of them Joined in an earnest endeavor
to set me right.
"Don't be unreasonable. senior!
Indians, white men and negroes all
say that the sleeper is deadly. Why,
there was Sebastiano, our uncls-he
was bitten, and would have died II
Mr.. Soils hadn't had big jar of Caru-
pano rum in the house.
"They made our uncle drink rum
until he couldn't hold any more; and
It was four days before he recovered.
1t cured him completely, and he never
swelled bit, either"
"Well, then, my dear friends" said
I, "they came very near to killing
your poor uncle-poisoning him with
rum. The very fact that the bitten
part didn't swell was enough to show
that the snake was not venomous at
ALL because II he were venomous, all
the rum in the world would not have
prevented the swelling. Nor would It
ever cure any man of the bite of any
dangerous snake, If he had once got
q fatal injection of the venom"
"But, senior, you don't mean to
stand against the opinion of the
whole world?"
"Why, certainly I do" said !. II
stand out against the whole world,
when know for sure the whole world
is wrong. Now I added, "you two
boys have over hundred dollars
worth of orchids already collected and
stored away in that cave up the noun
tain. You can spare the whole day
tomorrow to go with me.
"We'll go down by the river. Well
find a sleeper, and I'll let him bite
me; and afterward I'll catch hold Of
him and make him bite the dog; and
II neither I nor the dog suffer any
thing whatsoever from the bite
without applying any remedy at all
will you believe me that the sleeper
is harmless?"
"Yes.' said they together, @we will.
But we don't wish you to take such
a risk"
"Riskl" said I, laughing. There's
no risk at ALL"
They shrugged their shoulders and
sat gazing into the fire in silence.
They both looked sad and worried
blaming themselves, l thought, for
having unintentionally pushed me on
to make foolhardy venture.
The next morning at an early hour
we set out for the river.
The way those two Indians pleaded
with me not TO let the sleeper bite me
was most pathetic. and this great
fear of theirs for my sake only made
me the more determined to be bitten
for their sakes. l confess I don't
banker after bit from any creature,
but / owed debt of gratitude to
these two brothers, who had carefully
tended me when was i'll with ague
In the mountains; and 1t was too bad
that they should oftentimes lose val
liable orchids because one OF those
harmless Snakes lay coiled in the
nearby branches.
We soon came to the river, and as
we had no canoe, we had to make
our way along the bank.which was
no easy matter. as there was such a
thick growth OF vines in some places
that for many yards we never touched
ground at all, We walked and crept
over tho matted tangle.
Any moment we might have STUN
bled on boa constructor or anaconda.
or laid hand or foot on fer-de-
lance or a bushmaster. All these
reptiles frequent the river bank. The
two Indians knew the danger along
the river bank as we'll as did, so we
all kept silence and went on slowly,
with eyes and ears alert for every
xound nr rnoffon