AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 210, 13 December 1879, Page 3

AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE.

The Philadelphia Times relates the adventures of three young sportsmen who went out camping in the wilds of Pike County. Having selected their ground, this j's what happened, according

to-' the story of one of the party

" Night soon came on, and to keep away

wild animals we built a fire just outside door cf our tent. About ten o'clock * I fell asleep and shortly after was

awakened by a peculiar whirring noise

«, I found that Ciof and Diekisun were $ both asleep,".ind, as the noise still continued, I Seized my giln and pulled aside the tent-door flap ; the sight that met my.eyes fairly paralysed .me ; the fire, which still burned brightly, was surrounded by rattlesnakes in every coneeivab'e position. I quickly aroused Croft and Dickison, and armed with our sieri-Alpinb stocks, we stepped outside and began to slaughter the reptiles. We had already killed six, and, as I was striking the seventh,. which was an unusually large one, he sprang at me, and bit me in. the fleshy part of the hand, near the wrist. I immediately threw J own my stick, and r>n into the tent. Then I took a razor, and cut an incision in the flesh directly across the wound, applied my lips to the cut, and sucked from it the blocd and poison. I then bathed the wound with brandy, and drank a quantity of whisky." - Croft and Dickison had-in the meanwhile despatched the remainder of the . reptiles. In the morning .we measured the snakes killed, and their aggregate length was 6ft During the following day I kept taking liquor iiv quite large' doses, and hav« ts vet' felt no inconvenience from the bite."' '' '"•' ""

BNOBOCRACY,

Under the facetious heading of " Hank and Smell," a writer in the Manawatu Times tells the following. " tall" yarn about Christchurch an\ its "nobs " :-

*My fri.-nd. .Maginnis, who has just returned from a visit to the Cathedral City, where he has-- been commingling with the-aristocrats of that exclusive circle, gives me the latest little -bit of scandal, whichis" too good to be lost; -so I have rescued it from obscurity. It would appear -that-lih the city .of the Plains the varied distinctions of caste a re fcs binding a*s> the laws of the Medes and the -Persians, and Mrs Dr Di-Renzi Brown, who starves on L2OO a year, -would just as soon dream of putting a till in the window of'Lodgings to Let' or' Washing and Mangling/ as recognise Mrs Murphy Smith, whose husband hie a balance cf LIO,OOO athis bankers. Some short time since the . City Counci 1 called for tenders for removal of the night sdil of the city, and the successful applicant was a Mr Blank, an eminent conti actor, whose name to a cheque for JJfty thousand-would pass current any day/ A few days afterwards Mrs Blank daughter called upon a poor but distinguished of the elite—as we - say. in the classics —and tnon being shown into the mistress of the house was-received with—" I presume you are travelling for your "visit has been either too early or. too late, as the Major has had the closets cleaned last week." Poor Mrs Blank was so astounded with the ' refined hospitality '. which she experienced,- that she did.not think of taking her visiting card from the table where she had - placed i it,on ;her entry but the liny; pasteboard was safely returned to her next morning—by post. -'■■-■■■ :-. .'....■ . >

THE NIHILIST ORGANISATION

A letter from St Petersburgh says that people in Europe have no idea cf development and power of the Nihilist organization. .For instance, it is a mistake to believe it"is a superficial movement and that it has not taken deep root in the Russian nation. It is true that the chiefs come from the middle classes, and it is a significant fact that these men should discover no other means of obtaining liberty than that of force. A plan has been hit upon and already applied for a long time for propogating their doctrines among the masses, and more especially among the peasantry, under the very eyes of the police, without awakening suspicions. Their system is this: —None of their proselytising agents •ire allowed at first either to show that they are skilled workmen or "to profess to understand agricultural matters. Poorly clad these men are sent to settle in out-of-the-way vilages,'to work at their trade for years without giving theJcast hint as to what is the bent of their political principles. -They are extremely diligent at work, and preach by word and example the greatest moderation, especially in respect to the use oi intoxicating liquors and usually marry in the place. It is only when they have thoroughly established their position, and gained & certain influence over their neighbours that' they begin slowly anl unostentat tiously to promulgate their doctrines. It i« assarted that in this manner a net has been spread over the whole of the Russian Empire, the meshes of which are ever thickening; bo that it is .even now impossible to.say. novr how deeply the Nihilist organization haß taken root in the land, and how wide spread is its developement. Naturally the preference is g-iven to those places far from any of thoroughfares and railways. The Nihilists, • with prudent foresight, have chosen for their principal field of action those places which are the least liable to the supervision of the political agents of the Government. It if thus that silently thie active this revolutionary partyrj>roceeds with its development, sv hich -sooner or later must end in an

irresistible eruption. F t a/ the present it only ends in spasmodic outbreaks, I'ii'Hny in big)i-handed and arbitrarjr repr*ssion,which <mly increases the evil instead of exterminating-it - The Nihilist's a-rested already number tens of thousands.