Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-06
In a Python's Embrace.

Few men after having been roughly.
squeezed by Il python hav lived to tell
of t,'~ir sensations while i'm the en-.
brace of the big snake. An Englishn,an
employed i'm the London geological gar
acns Was. however. one of the fortunate
few.
The Britisher while i'm Antwerp visit,
ed the Jardin ZoologiIue, where he o.
served that Il big python-a female
about IA feet i'm length-was suffering
from carries of the jaw with liberation
of the mucuS membrane. :: condition
often fatal to snakes i'm confinement.
Having pointed this out to the resi-.
dent director. the Englishman obtained
permission tn make trial of an o;r,t-
ment that he had found efficacius in the
early stage Of the disease among his
own snakes.
Now. as i'll luck would have it, the
regular keeper was absent on his par
ticul:tr occasion and his place was filled
for the tim. by another. from some 9th
er department of the Institution. ,rs1isss
man spoke nothing but Flemish. Il
tongue of which the Eriton was igro-
rant.
The EngliShman went into the
pNthOn's den with this attendant, tax
ing 1t for granted. OF course. that the
man Was accustomed to snakes and
handing him the box OF ointment TO
hold until the Briton should be ready to
use it,.
lhS EuSiISHUlin nau brought
the python fairly down to the floor he
gripped her hard by the neck, which
action had the effect. as he intended it
To have and which it always has with
snakes. of making her open her mouth
While holding her thus he pressed her
head away from him at the same time.
to prevent her catching hold of any
portion of his clothing in her efforts TO
overcome him.
In her fright and rage she drew her
body up across the Britisher's back and
twisted her tail round and round his
other arm. All that the Englishnan
now required of the keeper was. by
teasing or pinching her here and there.
or by unwinding the tail when neces-
saIy. to cause her to shift her coils con-
stantly and prevent her resting long
enough on one spot to apply undue
pressure.
Tho Englishman turned to MAKE, y.
sign TO the Fleming to be ready to hand
him the ointment. To the foreigners
tslsmay. the Fleming's face. with a sort
OF run. impartial interest. looked at him
through the glass in front. the dnnr
closed on the outside. He had become
frightened by he python and had o,i-
city departed. N''-
At the same instant that the Brit-
isher turned the serpent frightened on
nm so suddenly and violently that he
momentarily lost consciousness. Then
ne found himself staggering about tn,
den fighting for life. He expected his
ribs to give way every omen vet his
chief fear at the time was OF falling
through the glass.
He pushed the reptiles head away
from him with all his strength lesr &
u cross his breast, and he can rr-
membe catching sight of himself. n
mulberry colOred figure, in the mirror
All the time that he fought he knew
that he was %trainpling over the other
pythons. h furious at the distlrn-
ance, were now darling about the den
above and all around him in every ali
rectiOn.
The Britisher exerted every energy
to keep his feet. for he had retain.d
sufficient presence OF mind to realiz.
n were he to go down, all would he
over with him. The heat was Sitting
He felt that he could endur it no long
er. The age spun madly round hefnra
his eyes n he let go the snakes head
The big serpent now twisted shar,lw
over his right shoulder close to his face
and slid off to the ground.
Inc tngllshman remembers fallin.
hands. but nothing more until he found
nlnlseiI setting on the steps outside
cousnihg violently. while the phelgm-
attic keeper was for some occult reason
putting a not key down his hack.
: F~orutnately h make had only a
smaii part OF her. body across the Eng
left side and back: had she
encircled him with a complete coil he
woui nave been crushed like an egg
she'll. - -