Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1874 — A VISION OF SNAKES. [ARTICLE]

A VISION OF SNAKES.

I was wandering in a valley, the light of which was peculiar: neither of night nor day, but a green gloom through which one saw objects as through green water. And, as I wandered, 1 saw serpents dangling from the trees, writhing through the grass, burrowing in the ground, floating on the shadowed ponds, or darting with a wavy motion across the scanty patches of sad glimmer made by the rare sunbeams that had filtered through the dense canopying foliage; and, as I glanced down a glade which sloped to a sea lying sullen beneath a sultry, clouded sky, u huge sea-snake raised its horrid head above the leaden waters, I trod on serpents’ eggs, from which, the instant they were crushed, fanged, hissing jaws protruded, and lithe, scaly forms squirmed forth. The dusk was studded with treacherous eyes; the forest was roped with slimy, swelling and collapsing, variegated coils; distinctly even in its stagnant atmosphere could be detected the strange odor of the valley’s sovereign tenants. I saw a plumed warrior steal up to one that slumbered in the grass. He forked it to the ground, slew, cooked and ate it; and put its skin upon his bow to insure the right flight of his arrow. Then he went forth to hunt the deer that at times might be seen gliding through the jungle, as if they feared to rustle its herbage; their beautiful eyes glancing in dread at the hideous eyes fiercely or stonily fixed upon them. He stalked a stag until he was within bow-shot of' the splendid creature that stood at gaze 'with back-thrown, manytined antlers upon a little mound. Just as the hunter put forth his foot to draw the string he heard a hiss and rattleThe snake that he had shun was avenged. One of its fellows had struck the slayer. His dusky face turned pale. Hastily he bound his leg tightly above and below the wound, and, sit t ing down, sucked at it like a child at its mother’s breast. But it seemed as if- he were going to sleep like the babe. He staggered up in alarnf, gashed at his wound with his knife, and then tittered as fast as he was able back to his fire —passing on his way hundreds of the black-marked dealers of death, with their devilish eyes and rattle-tails —coiled up like “ flemished” lines, or stretched out stiff as sticks—sluggishly enjoying the hot, sluggish air. He bored a tirestick into his wound, and on.ee more tottered on. But-liis steps grew feebler and feebler. Again and again he put his flask to his lips. The fire-water that would have maddened him another time had no effect upon him now. Drowsily nodding, he fell to the ground, breathed heavily, and wentoff into the sleep from which there is no waking. But I heard a noise of strumming, thumping and piping on musical instruments, and, following the sound, came to an opening in which stood a village in the midst of bamboos and palms. The inhabitants were dark, but of a different type of countenance from that of the redskmned hunter. I wondered that any people could have fixed their dwellingplace in the midst of such a valley of the shadow of death, but what I saw soon made me marvel more. The music hayjpg^s^ a while, a magician spread a -gayly-embroidered garment upon the ground before a cot-tage-wall, uttered words of incantation, and ordered all snakes within to come forth. They wriggled forth in a swarm, and Were put into bags by the chief magician's attendants. On tbU side and on that of the houses he repeated the charm, and it was everywhere obeyed. Once, however, he smote impatiently upon the ground with his stall, and the under-wizards recommenced their monotonous music, while he lighted a fire. He had missed one stubborn snake, which had refused to obey his will. When the fire ’ had burned up, the snake-charmer again waved his wand and recited still stronger words of magic. Instantly a huge serpent rolled forth from its hiding-place, and, gliding into the fire, was there consumed. The charmers killed some of their prisoners, and laid them onthe ant-hills.

fortheantsto pick their bones. Some the wizards swallowed; others they placed alive in their bosoms and allowed them to crawl all over their bodies next to the naked skin. They fondled them and put them to their lips; they suffered them to drink out of their capturcrs’ bowl, and struck them smartly on the head if they drank too eagerly. They piped to them and they danced. They made them come and go like dogs. They coiled the biggest round and round their necks, and limbs, and bodies in Laocoon folds. They forced the snakes to bile them, and healed the wounds with a touch and word, and the dwellers in the village wondered more and more, and rejoiced greatly that such potent champions against the fatal foes who beleaguered them had visited their settlement. Suddenly the chief magician seized a hooded snake gliding noiselessly upon the ground. It was one that had not come under the influence of his spells, having just writhed in from the encircling wood. Instantly it rose in wrath, its neck puffed out like a bladder with its savage passion. Out came its forked tongue, its curved fangs fastened on the charmer’s arm, and ere long he was a corpse, the conqueror gliding back into the forest in triumph, and his comrades that had been watching from the trees raised a hiss of exultation, w-hich made the villagers’ blood run cold. When I left the village the under-wiz-ards were raising their dreary funeral wail. In one of the garden-plats in the outskirts an innocent-looking little rabbit, which had come to help itself to the juicy blades and roots, found that it wasitself to be made a meal of. ’ A feeling of semi-coma came over me as 1 looked atthchclplcss little-thing, whichwas looking up as if mesmerized at the terrible serpent, ever coiling closer, that was looking down on it. I shuddered, cold sweat streamed down my face. I felt as if, in this strange land of snakes and magic, my identity were in some way being merged in that of a rabbit. With a violent effort I wrenched myself away and wandered on through the mysterious, oppressive, green gloom. I saw horned asps, vipers branded as if in warning with their initial, puff-adders, caqictsnakes writhing up slim tree-boles in quest of birds’ nests, lithe, thin, mudhued little whipsnakes, light-bellied blacksnakes, crimson bloodsnakes,whiteladies darting like flashes of light, but messengers of deadly darkness, ringed coral-snakes, as lovfly and as lethal, cobras and lance-hcaas. I roamed for miles through regions dominated by monstrous bull-snakes, boas, pythons and anacondas. I trembled as I saw- the parti-colored pests swimming toward me across rivers and lagoons and crushing the first living thing they encountered with an ease which plainly showed what would have been my fate had I been the first at hand. I held my breath as I passed them lying motionless in the degsc underwood, with their white-jawed heiids just peeping from beneath their coils. I approached though lusher jungle a stream which I saw that I must ford—the deer, buffaloes and fiercer beasts had made a track straight down for it, and, unless I turned back, there was no other road for me to travel. Some of the footmarks I saw, some of the cries I heard ahead, were hot reassuring, but in my dread of snakes I had come to hold four-footed marauders cheap. My fears were temporarily dissipated by one of. the most grandly beautiful sights I had ever beheld. I had read of the wonders of tropical vegetation —of its climbing palms, its netting and festooning lianas, with their lovely flowers. Now I saw something of this kind. L’luslered round and drooping from the .trees were long, thick creepers of gorgeous hues, those that dangled gently swaying in the almost breathless air. I stood for a time, rooted to the ground in startled admiratioh. Then 1 walked on to get a nearer view of this magnificent sight. Suddenly one of the creepers, holding on by the upper end, flung out the other —horror of horrors! it was a head —a boa’s head. The constrictor seized a buffalo with its frightful jaws and coiled itself round and round its victim. Crunch, crunch, went every bone in the wild beef; the breath was rapidly squeezed out of him. Then it uncoiled itself, slavered its prey all over, and, opening its mouth to the utmost, prepared to swallow its evening meal. It was horrid to see the creature’s long body swelling and sinking like billows as the buffalo was forced along. Another pounced upon a puma; another upon a jaguar; two or three upon deer; another —horrible—upon a man; another —still more horrible—upon a woman and Iter cliild; — —

Ugh! those “ lovely tropical creepers” —what nightmares had they become, as they lay gorged with food, bloated and torpid! And yet, in spite of the awful deaths of my fellow-creatures—so selfish is human nature—l could not help finding comfort in that stupid content. “ Now,” I said within myself, “ I shall be able to cross the river in safety; yet God knows thill my heart bleeds for those poor creatures, though they were not white. It wits sickening to see i> stout man crunched like a snail in that way. Never shall I forget the woman’s awful scream, and oh, that poor, helpless little babe! Still the beasts of prey are slain, and the hideous snakes are powerless or purposeless to harm me.” I advanced toward the river, gliding dreamily through the still forest, so lately the scene of blood-curdling slaughter, but now once more hushed in enchanted calm. But ■- from the water suddenly arose a boa’s head, far bigger than I had yet seen; but of the water undulated a boa’s body, which seemed as if it would never cease billowing itself on shore. ' I fled in terror, but could not help looking over iny shoulder as I fled. * The big boa, in passing, licked up the other boas as unconcernedly as if they had been mere shrimps, and stiil pursued me. M/ foot slipped, and his curved teeth were in me. Again I felt the cold chilLrun through my frame, as I had done when I beheld the fascinated rabbit - ”" The coils were crunching me. In my agony 1 gave one frantic fling, and—all was over. I had kicked off half my bed-clothes, and twisted the other half tight round my neck, and the night before, after looking atthe cuts in a natural-history book, I had taken a cool, light, yet heavy, summer-supper of cucumber au natural.—The Saturday Journal.

—“Sixty dolors for a threshing-ma-chine!” exclaimed a Milwaukee boy when he saw the card on one for sale the other day, “why, mother only pays $2 a pair for'her slippers.”