AN ARKANSAS SNAKE STORY.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4427, 13 March 1883, Page 4

AN ARKANSAS SNAKE STORY.

« Them certaiuly is big ones," said What Itookffor an Arkansas citizen as he looked at the snakes in a side show out at the fair. . A {-.well-dressed,. dignißed, James G. Blune style of a'gentleman, who looked like if he couldn't tell anything but the truth, was standing by,- and hearing this .expression of credulous admiration, was ■ - tempted- to observe :-->" Why, my dear '' sir, these snakes are mere mites in com\parison with snakes that I. have seen. ; -You see I have been a great traveller in j .my time, and have visited countries and i islands in the sea that a, great many { .'people have never heard of. In one of : '" those islands they have snakes that are j gnakesr and rl t can tell you an adventure thatXbnce had with a snake that turned my hair grey likeyetrsee it now." By this time a little company stood .aronndthe great unknown, all eager to hear his experience. .-"'lt* must have been a on-common ad* •• venture to turn a man's hair grey. Now, in pard,!;let's hear about it," put in the | Arkansan. : , ! i '" v 'Well, in that oountry they make it a business to hunt snakes with dogs, just like you hunt bears down in your country. Soon after I? got there I was invited to join a party,just going out in a hunt after ' a snake that was the terror of the country ■' for miles. He inhabited a kind of swamp and lived mostly on the fat cattle of the lurr'unding farmers—oh, yes, he lived .mostly on ozen—it took about ten for his /.dinner. The dogs that they hunt snakes with in that oountry are of a peculiar . breed.- They call them by a strange name that means 'gnawers.' They can gnaw worse than rats. They have been known to gnaw trace chains In . twfr in a few minutes. Well, we had a pack of about 40 of these dogs and we were all well mounted on fine racehorses for the hunt. A few hoars ride . brought us to where the snake lived. The dogs were turned loose all in a pack and took straight to the marsh, but they soon came out with the snake after them. Now, I won't say how big he was—you eah estimate that when I tell you what happened. The whole pack—mark you there were fully forty ■ t>f them—were swallowed in less than no time. The hunters were in full retreat, and the snake -hissed.- hideously behind us. He was coming like lightning, but they said he could not.hold out long, and our horses " were, as I told you, very fast and of good bottom. He was about sixty yards behind, and his tongue whipped the air with a sound like a cannon ball, like you utied to hear in the army, you know. Now, what do you suppose happened P My horse fell down, and I was under him! The snake stopped short and began on me and the horse both, bo as to take us, down his throat easy. It was then that my hair must have turned grey." " Wall, that was enough to even make Goliar's hair turn grey—drot me if it don't kinder work on my hair just to hear you tell it. How did you get away ?" " Well, the snake took the horse down first—you see he was so scared-he couldn't move, and he was on top—had me by the left leg fast." " Now, you don't mean to say, stranger, that th%t air snake swallowed tbe boss P " "Yes, sir, he took him right down, and was fixing for me, when, when— "When what? I want you to talk quick I" exclaimed the rural gentleman, all excitement and ears. *' When the forty dogs commenced to show their heads through his sides and back. You see they had been gnawing •way all the time—and then he curled up and died right on the spot. I got my horse out all right—l mean the dogs gnawed him out, and the natives proBounced it the most exciting snake hunt they had had for many years." " See here, my friend, I want you to come home with me—what's your name anyhow?/ What was you. and—" ','VBut, ere , the Arkansan could get an answer the greyheaded man had vanished in the.: crowd,,and was next seen paying for a year's subscription to this highly moral, edifying, and conscientious journal.