The sun., 1909-12-26
JUNGLE TALES OF SNAKES

jUNGLE TALN W MAkES
A BATCH or NEW STORIES FROM
THE GAZELLE PENINSULA.
Told by Natives sf New Britain TO .
Priest-Retrtbutien fer . Flute Piayer
the Thunder and Lightning Snake
-serpents In Hollow Tree cut Ont
Pretty soon all the novels will have been
written; not another one viii appear
ON the publishers lists. the supply ex-
hausted. Really II doesn't seem that
there is even now another romance left
to write. When that has come TO pass
a school Of philosophy will surely arise.
All the sellers, best and otherwise, will
cease to be read; they will be collected
as specimens, collated as data for the
study of the evolution Of romantic fiction.
Great universities will have chairs,
research assistants will make profound
discoveries. examinations will be
appointed and passed me xima cum
laude. or funked. ss u usual In the higher
In advance OF the undoubtedly momen-
tous discoveries about to be made there
need be no hesitation In announcing
that the germ OF fiction on the evolu-
tionary hypothesis is going TO be snakes.
Romance Is mendacity chocolate dslpsd.
parent OF lies.
90 back far enough in the story tell
ing art and you find q snake at tho aermi-
mating veeicle. Equally true In theology.
That's why the science OF hermeneutics
nal serpent, and that science Il Is which
has established theology ~ differentiated
from romance. In early piety there were
serpents oracular and serpents teleo-
logical, serpents with their tails In mouth
70 typify eternity; serpents up trees
But In the beginning Of romance the
snake has held first place. man may
remark upon the characteristics OF beasts
with legs, and his words. II sufficiently
ponderous. are likely to stand az words
S,, nso 70 nss nsgn M ~ snI
tales as lies, and he pronounced zoology
in three syliables. perhaps In gracious
assimilation with his own fret syllable.
When II comes to zoology without legs
the public becomes suddenly doubtful.
Let a man begin his veracious record OF
fab. his listeners demand that he pro-
duce the evidence or else send for a notary.
And when IL comes to snakes. nobody
believes at all. Yet each gifted story teller
sooner or later comes to the setting forth
Of the record Of snakes he has known.
Perhaps he does not wholly believe his
story OF the king snake summing himself
on rock surrounded by a ring OF faith
ful sentinels, HIS may have soma doubt
lingering In his mind as to whether u was
he or his Cousin John who actually did
his singer into the oak tree -which sick
cned, gentlemen, and died. =
But 1f you would really get the snake
stories In the exubersnce OF their youth,
the raw material OF all romance, you
should listen TO rude and savage man tell
him the wild life Of the jungle. There is
. freshness of appreciation about the
snake stories Of the savages which Is
lacking 70 narratives Of greater sophistica-
PERHAPS : q. :spe,y e, e ne s. n:..s. ;.;
been brought Qua of the Gaselle PENN
sula In New Britain, whore the people
90 about caad mostly Ian their complex
IONS and n sunny climate seeking whom
they may dsvour. but always ready to
reeite the story OF such lie as comss
Meier. that osseis L dus for tho record
OF these new Snake tales 1919 ~.
nkrRrsrrios ron TINS KtvrE .rLsxEs. /.
( One or tieee cannSbals, 80 .ths first
story begins. wHR aikihE along The beach.
In a great hurrf. 0hathAt ssrhe beach
a snake bad yngeled and bad husied
Ing h,rte and did mt look carefully To-
his stcpe. and he trod .hrst on the snakes
tail In the sand and then on its head-
- The snake threw itself into q coil about
the player OF the flute on the public FORE
shore. slavered him from head 70 foot
and swallowed him down and then crept
on TO strarge place far away. But
the flute player was nrt left without
resource. He set his teeth in his bamboo
flute and bit it into splintsrs. He split
the splinters down until he got q sharp
edge and found himself in Possession Of
these sharp cdges hs performed a lap
arotomy from within and stspped safe
and sound out IL the snakes belly.
While he was lying happy and free in
the sun people came up and accosted
him with the natural question Whats
So he told them how the snake had
swallowed him. but he had cut his way
out and they said quite sympathetically.
-Oh, you poor fellowt"
THE THUNDER AND Ll0HrNISo SNAKE.
That man came on with great credit.
despite his fiute playing: But not always
could man take such liberties with the
and very dangerous serpent. and he did
man found his plantation one day all
torn up. He thought a Wild boar had
been uprooting his plants. Bot he re-
planted the field. and again y was rooted
went to look for the wild boar.
Very soon he found Il was not a pig
but q great snake that had dope the
SO he called his neighbors
together. They chopped down trees and
made fence ABOUT tno RrantauQn. but