INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A JOURNALIST.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 150, 28 July 1883, Page 11

INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A JOURNALIST.

W.-y..- ■■ ■ —■•—dks* 8. .1 By Nemo. \ I

;^;:;;v;... '£V } :-- -'AijOSC^EE. SENSATIONAL .SNAKE ,STOJiY. , '■'"./.Wo. iKIII.—The Snake's Place in the Domain of y the. Marvellous — Some astounding Snake ■'-,:■■:.; . YcLnn^—iDiflicuiHes;ofi Siiahe\Bt6Ki/~tellers— Sketch of a Midsummer pat/ in Australia— \'"'.' ' Tea as ■ a ' Stimulant on 'T/ie ' PFallabi —An ' .Oasis -inv.the~, ~}V%alkirp§ oq&) 4 a Dia- <■; mond Snake. rWs one of the former chapters of this series, I \x A^tliink I prepared. the reader'*'.mind *for a. pecu-',-liavly sensational snake story; and here it may.be •■>. Remarked,,en passant, that,snakes, have at qll r: times "furnished 'ihpxhau'stible fopie for' the *•, ■exercise of brilliant irimgiWtions and vivid powers ..■.of description. I never knew an old Australian ■■' „ who had not, at some stage of his colonial career, ;':/;.soeu either the largest, or, the most venemous .'.•' snake on record.. The yarns about snakes that I ,; iliave listcucd. to, sitting by ca.mp-fi-cs in the '.'. Australian bush, would strike even a Munchausen : ' dumb Tilth eiivy and admiration. In the domain .; of the marvellous, the snake rears his hooded ' head triumphantly above even the apoebryphal \ SearScrpent of the .ancient mariner, or the levia- • !\ r-fchan. whale of Captain Barry. I knew a man who had seen a carpet-snake 100 feet long. He „-'-. i.was an old Vandemonian, whose reputation for •'"- -rveracity was unimpeachable, and moreover, he ■'[, .had actually placed.the mutter beyond the possibility of a doubt by taking the serpent's measure. , . -I met huridrbds of men in Victoria w'io had gone ■'-'.'jjtp/ bed with snakes, and oniy discovered the -■'', Character of their bed-fellows by the merest iiccident. One of the most remarkable men I '■eTer encountered m all my checkered expedience ■•; .was a highly respectable bullock-driver, who had „-.'.-.picked up a black snake instead of his whip, and :' t>nly discovered the difference 1 when the reptile, /.becoming disgusted with the copiousness and ■'. ;<po'wer of his expletives, hung its head with shame, ' 'and began to expostulate with him on his iin- , -gpiety: And' yet this man had drank nothing : ..-stronger that day thnn two bottles of Holland's ', 'gin! I have invariably found, whenever! have V-ftarrMed the following adventure, where two or , • '■''.three were gathered together, that someone was ' ■ sure to start up and put me to the blush with a ■ story about a, snake that would have swallowed .' ,'lny' snake without so much'as winking an eye. Unless a man is gifted with colossal powers of .Invention, and an abnormal development of the • ■-;'organ of Size, he stands no chance among such .'; -competitors. ' He niust take a back seat. But, '•V-.ihowever embarrassing my natural modesty, I am - ""not, to v be. deterred by such considerations from :','.; lharratiug facts within my own personal expe- :, -irieric^.^ So h^rogoes! ''lc"■>: ', '■ Tfrijjßfc^^weltering hot day in midsummer. 'V. /Ih'ej^^^^Hfcßftn beat down like a fiery furnace tffat strange haze P^mroh'is peculiar to the Australian bush in midv^f^u'mtnely when'all Nature seems to perspire frotn .Si./ '^very 1 pore. 'In the air there was that quivering ■■'i'light, like the puke of Nature quickening under -' "i^llS. stimulating rays of the suti. Far away on C^h^'distant horizon; the yellow light contrasted i'-'-VVitltfthe clear; blue sky overhead, and the dunt^ of the.parched vegetation beneath. Nature i^was enjoying its afternoon siesta." : Only the gay7';jjlumaged paraquets flitted and twittered among \Athe 'trees; little, leaden-coloured lizards glided '^-t-thfo'ughthe grass or basked in the sunshine; '•;=.: Mao% vultures' cawed' and ■ circled overhead j !'•", ;\iiiultitudes' of shrill cockatoos wheeled in white ■y'.--'.-'<Jl6u!ds from^tree to tree^ covering them like a V. \ jflahtle of 'snow. - ?;.?•( My'mates and I'had started in'the cool of ;,;-;' ''H&tifnj;- and had walked far that day, only halting ■'>{' rocfciisionally to boil a billy of tea with which to .^•refresh ourselves on the way. And here let me ;,;;\say that, next to ;oatnieal. and water, 1 know of f'nothing that will belter sustain a man through a ■■•■'f.Vjiojig,'i^nd, tiresome journey, especially in . hot !'"VvrYXeather, than ,tea, cocoa, or chocolate. I have '{■•'VJEjeen,, strong,men tire on a journey who trusted to ti'-i/'^iuare ". and '':p.b., v while smaller and weaker reslied. themselves with an occaV.siouul; rest; and a pannikin of tea, left them far .;.; vbehind ".on the wallabi.",, Alcoliolic stimulants i-V -'may be of service where a man finds it absolutely v ''r necessary t'6 spur himself up for some extraor- ',:':' r'efinary and needful effort, or to revive the vital k':;,'functions when they are prostrated by some 7'Xaiidden shock or disease; •' but for sustained, i: '"> ;.^tea;dy exertion, it doe 3 not count for mut-h. )-i. . there is always the inevitable recoil, ;'7;;..(which sometimes comes; too soon, leaces the 4V: I-"■' system weaker than >at> firsthand requires re- '■; J s^fcitiiula'tiion. It is' all high-pressure, consumption v^v>ot'' .fuel, and wear and.'tear of boiler, and :!£\roacb.inery. That is niy solemn opinion alter a §; I'" pretty ■ extensive- experience of both regimes, 1 and f$ ?)myV't6tal atistinenoe friends are at liberty, to make ■7^'^hatqyer.use of it.they choose,asthe testimonials S^ayy-; 1- >.- ■„.f. -, ,-• .... -'.•.- v', f HH'>:.»;.Wi©'bad despendecl into a low-lying flat, intera shallow, sluggish creek, fringed, with J:' ''trees and scrub. Here the grass was greener |.^ v&ii& ,tb,Bi air; cooler rfchan / on "•■: the higher: ground ,vrtj'hati travelled..', A,'nai;row, dusty skirted the stream, and was here and there !sfiKJ.ve£shadp>ved ,by the foliage. It^vvas like an l^^asisV 'in a desert —a fit halting-place until the . I .was walking leisurely j%/i->;jUfcj' adyance i o£, my companions, looking for, an iy^i^etiing '"'in the scrub to approach the creek and fer<ffiJ.^-o <ur/." billies" fcJuddenly the man immediately 1 a pier,aing sbriek of terror. ; v^^sf^eeleji;tpiin-4, t aud. my,; ■ bajud (went instinctively -jvliich , was ■ slung- over; my WMMiM^o^^6^''^o^ eE^!" -:- -■ • '• ■' '■ l^^fflEis;fa^fWaa;.'blanched ..with, terror. , He, was pointing, yeitii outstrefcclied isfflf|^«eWft b3e«*i^the,grass.. „;. ... „..,., m^mM^"-'"'-' ' -■'■; ■■ i:- ■■"■;-:;- ••-'■-'■■■ Tliere he goes!

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of all the venemoue reptiles on the' Australian | Continent. Let a man receive oue 1 bite from a j diamond snake, and, unless prompt and -skilful | surgical; aid jis close at hand,. he -may -make -his last will and testament. It- will be all over with him in twenty or thirty minutes.- ■ • ! . " You have had a narrow shave, mate;" . . " How ?" I asked. "Why, you stepped right ovev.it.. It was lying here, coiled up on the track," pointing to a ring in the dust where the snake had lain' coiled' up,, basking in the sunshine. " I was only two yards behind you. I saw the brute uncoil itself and shoot away into the grass, and then I gave that yell. Whew ! it was a narro^v escape for both of us." ' , : I went back arid examined the track; rehearsed the 'whole thing over again, everi to planting my' feet in the old footmarks ; and then something like a silent prayer rose to my lips. sfou may put whatever construction upon this that you please. If you are a cynic, and a philosopher of materialism, you may say it was nothing more than a remarkable occurrence — one out of the general • average of exceptions in the risks of life ; but if you are a believer in an over-ruling Providence, you may see the finger of Grod in this miraculous escape from a horrible death. I have never ttsld this story among men — and J I think I can narrate it better than I write— but j I have noticed mingled expressions of incredulity and admiration on their countenances. They disbelieved my tale, but admired what they regarded as my fertility of imagination. One wretch, indeed, said he supposed I escaped death by snake-bite because I was born to be hanged. " Rani tempomm felicitate, uhi senlire, qua velis, et, qua sentias, dicer,e libel'""" ' ------ (To he continued.)

} Ross for. 1000 dollars a side on the. Kenebeecassis . River,. St. Johns, New Brunswick,. and. won with ease, Ross having met with an accident in the Hace. At the -Barrier Regatta, v ihe. met, $nd defeated ten of the best oarsmen of the whole Continent of America, including Morris, Elliott, Plaisted, Coulter, Lutrer, Ross, (two) and others. This race was four miles, < with a turn, for. the usual thousand dollars. J?roui 1871 up to this time, he had rowed twenty-eight races, and had won twenty-six with, comparative ease, suffering one defeat, through an accident, at the hands of Plaisted, whom he subsequently defeated. His next great match in America was against Charles E.Courtney (New York), who is described as a giant compared to his opponent Hanlaii, standing 6 feet 6 inches, and weighing when trained 12£ sfcone. His physique and power,' 'however, availed him little, for he was obliged to succumb to the Canadian after one of the most remarkable and exciting races on record, (It, should be mentioned here that Hanlin had previously challenged Trickett, of Sydney, to row for the championships of the world, and £500 a-side over a three or five miles course at Toronto, the races to come off in August 1879, but this challenge was not I accepted by the Sydney man. This wonderful sculler is most heard of in England, where he defeated Hawdon, one of the best of the secondrate scullers, in the hollo west fashion. Hanlan afterwards became champion of England by his easy defeat of Elliott, but in turn was himself defeated in the Hop Bitters contest at Toronto at the end of 1879, having given lip in the middle of the race, and complained of having a stitch in his side. The race with Trickett was then arranged for November ISSO, and created intense excitement in the colonies, but the Canadian again proved equal to the occasion,