Year: 1867

looked at my neighbor with consider
able curiosity. His face indicated a mar
of not over thirty years-a period at which
men are still young, but his hair was as
fresh fallen snow. One seldom sees even
on the heads of the oldest men. hair of
such immaculate whiteness. He sat by
my side IN a car of the Great Western
Railroad IN Canada, and was looking out
at the widow. Suddenly turning his head
he caught me in the act of staring at him
"a rudeness of which l was ashamed
was about to say some words Of apology,
when he quietly remarked:


don't mention it, sir I'm used to it."


The frankness of this observation pleas
ed me and in a very little while We were
conversing on terms of familiar acquain-
taneeship, aud before long he had told
me the whole of the story.


81 was a soldier in the army of India"
he said, "and, as is often the case with
soldiers. [ was little too fond of good IL
quor. One day | got drunk, and was
shut up in the black hole for it, l slump
ed down upon the floor of the dungeon,
and | was just dropping off to sleep, when
| felt a cold Shiny shape crawling across
my right hand as it lay stretched out
above my head on the floor. | knew it
was snake ! Of course my first impulse
was to draw away my hand, but knowing
if did SO the poisonous reptile would
probably strike its fangs into me, / lay
still, with my heart beating in my breast
like trip hammer. OF course my fright
sobered me instantly. realized all my
peril in its fullest extent. o. how l Ia
mented the hour that L had touched Ii
quOr In every glass of liquor they say
there is a serpent; but it does not come
to every one in the shape it did to me-
With slow, undulating motion the rep
tile dragged its carcass across my face.
inch by inch, and crept down over my
breast, and thrust its head inside my jack
ct. AS felt the hideous scraping of the
Shiny body over my cheeks it was only by
most tremendous efforts that | succeeded
in restraining myself from yelling loudly
with mingled terror aud disgust. At last
| felt the tail wriggling down towards my
chin but imagine what felt at heart, if
you can imagine it, as [ realized that the
dreadful creature had coiled itself up un-
der my jacket as 1 lay and had seeming
ly gone to sleep, for it was still as death.
Evidently it had no idea that l was
human creature if it had it would not
have acted in this manner. All snakes
are cowardly, and they will not approach
a man unless to strike him in self-defense
Three hours | lay with that dreadful
weight in my bosom and each minute was
! like an hour to me-like an hour to me
like year | seemed to have lived q.
life time in that brief space Every in~
cident of my life passed across nay mind
IN rapid succession as they say is the
case with drowing men. | thought of my
mother, away in old England my happy
home. by the borders of the Avon my
Mary, the girl 1 loved, and never ex pect-
ed to see them more. For no matter how
long | bore this, felt that it would end
In death at last. lay as rigid as corpse,
scarcely daring even to breathe, and all
the time my breast was growing colder
and colder where the snake lay against it
with nothing but thin cotton shirt be-
tween my skin and its. knew if | STIR
red it would strike but left l could not
bear this much longer. Even if I sue
ceeded in lying still until the guard came,
| expected that his opening the door and
coming in would be my death warrant all
the same for no doubt the reptile would
see that L was a man, as soon as the light
should be let in at the door. At last L
heard footsteps approaching. There was
rattling in the lock. 1t was the guard.
He opened the door. The snake-a CO.
bra di capelia | now saw-dartsd up its
huge hooded head with the hideous rings
around its eyes, as if about to strike. 1
shut my eyes, and murmured short pray
er. Then it glided away with swifs mo-
tion, and disappeared in the darkness. 1
staggered to my feet, and fell swooning
into the arms of the guard. For weeks
after | was very sick and when l was
able to be about, found that my hair
was as white as you now see it. l have,
never touched drop of liquor since.
William Wirt Skies.