A REMARKABLE SNAKE. Mules, Horses and Children Killed by a Strange Monster

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 376, 12 June 1889, Page 3

A REMARKABLE SNAKE. Mules, Horses and Children Killed by a Strange Monster

During the past two months ife has been a matter ot frequent complaint among the inhabitants of the districts east and north of Arima, on the island of Trinidad, that their domestic animals of all kinds wero being lost in a strange, unexplained manner —usually at night. Latterly even larger animals, some valuable mules and horses, had gone t© join the smaller fry that had disappeared. At first the blame was laid on thieves of unusual daring, but it was soon clear that some monstrous animal was the depredator, although, strangely enough, no trace of blood was ever found at the spot visited, or its neighbourhood. No animal large enough to carry off a horse or mule was known to exist on the island. The people began to watch at night, and it was noticed that the traces through the vegetation always stopped at streams and seemed to vanish altogether after that. Several children disappeared to add to the horror of the mystery, and a grief-stricken mother, while sitting by her hut mourning the loss of her five-year-old daughter, was, on the very day following the child's disappear-

ance, a terror-stricken eye-witness of the ( carrying off of her three-year-old boy by a i colossal snake. 'Pursuit by an armed body of residents proved fruitless. It was surmised, from the rathor imperfect description given of the approximate colour, rings and spots of the snake, that it was a survivor of the' extinct race of gigantic hnilliar or local anacondas occasionally met with in the old days in the Oroponche, Arima, and other rivers of the island. Finally, after many more depredations by the monster, who was several times seen in different mountainous localities, the matter was thought serious enough by the warden ot the island to warrant making" a request through the Colonial Secretary for assistance from Port-of-Spain. The , story of the occurrences was also considered by the Central Agricultural Board, and in the course of the meeting Hon. Dr. De Verfeuil stated that in his opinion the snake was a huilliar. Early one morning a large cavalcade, heavily armed, set out from Arima and proceeded to the Blue Mountain, in the neighbourhood of which searching parties had located the snake the day before. He had bean seen to enter the Guacharo caves in the hill separated from the mountain by a hollow, and the party gradually formed a cordon round' the hill. A portion of the party entered cautiously into one of the openings leading into the interior of the great caves, and had scarcely done so when fihe head of a monstrous snake suddenly appeared on the surface of «v large pool. An angry hiss, like the plunging of a red-hot iron into the pool, issued from the hideous head, and then a volley of bullets were fired into him. A second volled was necessary to produce the desired effect, and was fired as he lifted his huge carcase fully twenty-five feet out of the water. When dragged out to the level he was found to measure forty-seven feet and was two and a-half teet through at the thickest part. In colour he was yellow on the under part of his body and dark above, having dark rings, between which the skin was variegated with semi-lunar grey discs. His snakeship was dragged to Arima and steps taken to preserve the carcase in the council hall of Port-of-Spain. The matter was rnad£ the subject of a despatch irom the American Consul to his department at Washington. — Port of Spain 'Gazette.'