Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-28
STING OF A SNAKE
Fiery Ordeal That Follows a Kiss
From a Puff Adder.


1t is like TO be bitten by a pun adder,
one Of the most venomous of snakes.
In South Africa. where II is found. its
bite is believed to be certain death.
Nevertheless F. y. Streat6eld, former
~ resident commissioner of Bechuana-
land. not only survived the bite Of
pun adder. but told his story in the
London Field. He had captured the
snake. which was three feet and half
long. in South Africa. and was bring
ing il home confined in an old cartridge
box to present TO the Regents park
zoo. He says:
Somehow or other it became known
to my fellow passengers that l had
puff adder in my portmanteau, and
they begged 70 be allowed to see 1t.
For a long time refused, but at last
was overpersuaded and fetched her la
dyship.
Taking her out of her box and grasp
ing her close behind her head, l ex
planned 10 the company the marvellous
economy of the poison apparatus.
opened her mouth and displayed the
! fangs. showed the poison glands and
how the muscles that raised the fangs
at the same time pressed on the glands
and forced the poison through the tiny
duct.
Having concluded my lecture, I be-
! gan TO put her ladyship back into her
| temporary home. In getting rid Of q
| poisonous snake you should be sure
| that no coil is wound round an arm
and that its whole body is free. Then
when you let go your hold your hands
should be instantly snatched away out
| of reach.
When l was in the very act Of quit
ting my hold some one spoke to me,
and l have no doubt that left my
hand within reach Of the deadly fangs
instead of snatching it away. ] must
have turned my head toward the man
who spoke to me. for | did not see the
stroke.
But | felt as II a knife had been
sharply drawn across my finger. and,
looking down, / saw the blood flowing
freely and her ladyship out Of her
box. trying TO make her way across the
table. ! snatched her back by the tail
caught her by the neck again and got
her safely into the box.
When l was struck there were about
twenty men in the room. Twenty sec,
ondS afterward there was not one.
never saw room cleared in like time
They simply tumbled over each other
When the prisoner was again under
lock and key the company came slow
l l. h. rnA
asked for ammonia. There wa:
none on the ship. and so had TO take
a great deal of brandy. l lanced m!
finger down to the bone. where the
snakes fang had made wound. TheI
! sucked the wound vigorously.
| gave my keys and home address t.
my good friend. w. L.. who promised
to look after me and to carry out m.
instructions while l remained insensi
bile. Soon after that l became uncon
scious.
/ had told L. that l should be report
ed dead. but that ] should not be, an,
that If he could get even a few drop
of brandy down my throat when m
heart failed it would jog on AGAR
and that by and by l should come Il
1t was 10 o'clock when | lay down o
the smoking room sofa and became UT
conscious. When / came to again tn
east was rosy with the morning sun.
Several times during the night tn
doctor told L. that was already deaC
and If my friend had not obstinatel
refused to listen to him and insist o
following out my own instructions
should have been sent, wrapped up /
piece of canvas. to the bottom of tn
sea. some $50 miles north of Madeira.
/ never felt so i'll or suffered sue
pain as when | recovered conscious
ness that morning. ] ached from III
tip of my finger to my shoulder, as
the bone had been redhot iron, an
my swollen arm looked like a har
pillow.
They carried me TO LIS bunk. an
there l lay for twenty-four hour
Then with the help of a friends arr
could crawl few yards. By degree
the pain grew less. and by the time
reached home / had begun to take
little interest in life. but for month
had to DE very gentle with mysel
l have never since been so strong as
was before and have come to knO'
the meaning of the word tired" som
thing ! did not know before her lad,
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