The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-05

Creeping Johnny had more horrible
sound than anything that had gone be-
fore, and it didn't reassure him much
to learn that it was only morning mist,
for it was a particularly evil mist laden
with infinite possibilities for all sorts Of
suffering.
1t was plain by this time that the
strangers interest was not merely real;
1t was acute. All his prearranged notions
of life had been upset. He'd expected
some disease in the tropics, but this was
going too far. Then q kindly man in
white clothes who had stuck to gin and
bitters while the others had ranged from
Scotch to beer put in his oar with ref
erence to snakes. The fertilizer expert
took hand in the game then. He had
a narrowing yarn of friend in one of
the West Indian islands who had been
bitten by fer-de-lance and had died so
quickly and in SO heart-rending a way
that the expert almost wept in the telling.
There was one ray of hope. So far as
any one knew, there were no fer-de-
lances in South America. But even that
ray was soon extinguished, for coral
snakes and bushmasters came upon the
scene. Each one it seemed, was more
deadly than the other, and either could
give the fer-de-lance a good run as a
deadly enemy to humanity.
A "Camoodie."
The rice grower brought in a new name,
camoodie, which is but one Of several
ways of spelling it. Even some of those
who have been south before pricked up
their ears at this What, please. was a
camoodie? Merely a water constructor
common enough near the equator, sort of
a thing that hangs around the river banks
and in the irrigation trenches. Had the
IL t,d md
what's more, he'd seen one kill an alli-
gator in fair fight That seemed lit
tie too much, and the voyager from
Worthwhile hazarded a question as to their
length
Well" said the rice planter, Tive
seen Dem "a feet long. That's common
enough; but they do grow longer You'll
find men who'll tell you that they get
to be 80 feet long. Anything up to 80 I'm
ready to believe; but over that I've got
to be shown"
The nervous traveller looked as if death
from seasickpess would have been well
come end He wanted to ask question,
but he didn't like to appear entirely ig-
norant Finally he got to his point. Did
the camoodie kin human beings? The an
swer was only partly relief.
81 don't know" said the rice expert.
II never knew directly of a case myself,
but I've heard lots of stories about coolie
boys being caught in the trenches and
crushed to death. It's a constructor, not
a poisonous snake, you see. But l don I
see where white man would be in any
danger. Still, I'd hate to get too near to
one''
The captain had entered the room while
this talk was going on, and had chatted
a while with the banana super-cargO on
the condition of the cold storage plant.
Then they both joined in the converse
tin, and the talk drifted naturally from
bananas to poisonous insects especially
tarantulas.
One man had been bitten by tarantu-
la, and casually remarked that 1t hurt
some, but he got out of the hospital IN
three weeks. If, as usually happens, you
were away from medical assistance, all
you could do was to keep full of whisky
and hope for the best. He gave some ad-
vice as to the care and management OF
tarantulas which might land on one.
Above all, he explained. don't touch them
when they're on bare flesh, for they re-
sent interference and bite at once. Ii
left alone they may walk on and fetch up
on your coat sleeve or some otner place
from which they can be ficked of. The
nervous man Nhad made mental prom
ise never unduly to irritate tarantula
when the last straw was added to his
sufferings.
Ever get em on the ship, captain
said one of the party.
ooh, now and them was the answer
Cant help it on banana boat. They
are hidden in the punches and you can't
get rid of 'em always. Caught one in
a stateroom last trip up. That cabin FAR
thest aft on the port side IL was
The voyager from Worthwhile was just
ready to turn in when the talk had
reached this point. 1t dawned on him
that his was the cabin farthest aft on the
port side, and he shuddered.
That night he spent with his light on
divided between dreams of 24-foot water
snakes and a wide-awake and conscien-
tious outlook for tarantulas.