The daily Alaskan., 1912-09-16
FOUGHT \ PYTHON
Fearful Plight of a Man Trapped
 In the Big Snakes Den.
EXCITING BATTLE FOR LIFE.
PIoely and susesssfvi Struggle to ss- cape the Embrace of the Writhins Monster, Which Would Have Crush ed its Victim Like an Eaashsll.

Monster, Which Would Have Crush
 ed its Victim, Like an Essshsll.
 Few men after having been roughly squeezed by python have lived to tell of their sensations while In the en- brace of the big snake An English man employed In the London zoologi. cal gardens was. however, one of the fortunate few.
 The Britisher while in Antwerp yis- ited the JardIn ZOologique, where he observed that a big python--a female about fourteen feet in length-wns sui fering from carries of the jaw. with ni- ceration of the mucous membrane condition often fatal Co snakes in con hnement.
 Having pointed this out to the resi-. dent director. the Engiishman obtained permission to make trial of an oint ment that he had found eflcacious in the early stage of the disease among his own snakes.
 Now, as ni>luck would have t. the regular keeper was absent on this par ticular occasion. and his place was fill- cd for the time by another from seme other department of the institution This man spoke nothing but Flemish. A tongue of which the Briton was ig norant
 The Englishman went Into the py- rhon's den with this attendant. taking it for granted. of course, that the man was accustomed to snakes and hand ing him the box of ointment to hold un- til the Briton should be ready to use It
 When the Englishman had brought the python fairly down to the floor he grlppcd her hard by the neck. which action had the effect, as he intended 1t to have and which it always has with snakes. of making her open her mouth. While holding her thus be 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 bis other arm. All that the Euglishman now required of the keeper was, by teasing or pinchiug her here and there or by unwlndins the tail when necessa- ". to cause her tO shift her coils con stantly and prevent her resting long enough on one fpot to apply undue pressure.
 The Engiishman turned to make sign to the Fleming to be ready to hand him the ointment. To the foreigners dismay the Flemi1g's face, with a sort of full. impartial interest, looked at him through the glass in front, the door closed on the outside! He had become frightened by the python and had quiet. ly departed.
 Al the same instant that the British. or turned the serpent frightened on him so suddenly and violently that he mo mentarily lost consciousness. Then he found himself staggering about the den fighting for life. He expected his ribs to give way every moment, yet his chief fear at the time was of falling 
 through the glass
 He pushed the reptiles head away from him with all his strength lest II should cross his breast, and be can re- member catching sight of himself. mulberry colored figure, in the mirror All the time that he fought he knew that he was trampling over the other pythous. who. furious at the disturb apce. were now darting about the den. above and all around him in every di' rection.
 The Britisher exerted every energy to keep his feet. for he had retained sur. 6cieut presence or mind to realize that were he to go down all would be over with him. The beat was suaing. He felt that he could endure it no longer. The cage spun madly round before his eyes. and be let 90 the snakes head.
 The biz serpent now twisted sharply over his right shoulder close to his race and slid of to the ground.
 The Euclisbman remembers falling against the door with outstretehed hands. but nothing more until he found himself sitting on the steps outside coughing violently, while the phieg- matic keeper was for some occult req son putting a bot key down his back
 Fortunately the snake had only small part of her body across the Eng Ishman's Ieft side and back. Had she encircled him with complete coil he would have been crushed like an egg shell.-Harper's Weekly.