CHAPTER IX.
A BATTLE WITH THE SERPENT.
I had no idea what the snake was, for I had never seen one of that kindbefore. I am not particularly afraid of snakes, though they are verydisagreeable to me. When I was at work in the field as a farmer, Isuppose I never lost an opportunity to kill one that came in my way.But all these were harmless reptiles, and of late years I have not beendisposed to meddle with them.
The snake that introduced himself to me so unexpectedly was not morethan three feet long. He was of a greenish-brown color, with someyellow on the sides. I had the strip of board I had taken from thewindow in my hand when the reptile darted out of the closet. I don'tthink he had any particular intentions, at first, except to get out ofhis prison, as I had to get out of mine. I could not blame him foranything he had done so far. Like myself, he was a prisoner, and weought to have been in full sympathy with each other.
I had released his snakeship from one prison, and placed him so muchnearer to entire freedom. To this extent I was entitled to hisgratitude, though I did not expect much of him. As he darted out of thecloset, I sprang from his path into the corner of the room, behind thehall-door. The next instant he was coiled into a round heap. Then heraised his head from the middle of the coil about a foot, as it seemedto me, though it could hardly have been so high.
So far from feeling anything like gratitude for the favor I had donehim, the villain made war upon me. Suddenly he made a spring at me; butI had both eyes wide open, and was watching him with the most intenseanxiety. As he leaped, I hit him with the stick in my hand; and hefetched up against the wall, on the inside of the closet. I have nodoubt his striking against the partition caused some confusion in hisideas: at any rate, he dropped on the floor, and began to wriggle aboutin such a manner as no decent snake would, unless his ideas wereconfused.
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My curiosity in regard to that identical snake was entirely satisfied,and I made haste to close the closet-door. I felt that I had no furtherbusiness with that snake. It has taken me some time to tell about thisreptile; but I think the villain was not out of the closet more thanthree seconds; at any rate, it was a very few seconds. He did businesswith great rapidity. He had lost no time in coming out of his prison,and none in making his attack on me. He had wasted no time inconducting operations; and if I had not had the bit of board in myhand, I am afraid the snake would have got the better of me.
At the time I had no acquaintance with this snake, though he neverwaits for a formal introduction when he means business. I know now thathe was a moccasin. I saw many of them in the woods of Florida. They areas venomous as the rattlesnake, and are even more dreaded by manypeople, for they give no notice of their intention to strike. In theEnglish books of natural history this snake is called the water viper.The copperhead is one of the same sort.
I felt as happy as the patron saint of Ireland must have felt after hehad boxed up the old serpent, and sunk him at the bottom of the lake. Ihad the enemy where he could not harm me, for it was not possible forhim to make his way through the door. I took the precaution to see thatthere were no holes or cracks through which the snake could again forcehimself into my unwilling company. I could find no opening of any kind.For the present I felt entirely safe.
Though I did not know anything about the kind of snake I was shut upwith, I felt from the beginning that he was poisonous, and that hisbite would make an end of me. I had closeted him; and now I had time toconsider the situation. I came promptly to the conclusion that he wasput into that closet for my benefit. The conspiracy seemed to be almosttoo crafty for Captain Boomsby; though I knew that he was capable ofdoing such a thing.
When I had considered this subject for a few minutes, I found my bloodboiling with indignation. Before I saw the snake, I was more inclinedto regard the whole trick in the light of a practical joke, rather thanas a serious matter. It seemed to me just then that my ancient enemy,in his bargain with Carrington, intended to resort to some such deviceto get rid of me.
I did not intend to spend the night in that attic chamber; and when myblood began to boil, I aimed a blow at one of the panels of the doorwith the heavy stick in my hand. The thin board that formed this partof the door split under the blow. I followed it up as though I had beenchopping wood. The panel shivered under the vigorous assault I madeupon it. In a minute, I had a hole through. Inserting my stick in theopening, I pried out the rest of the panel. But the hole was not bigenough to admit the passage of my body.
I had hardly succeeded in making a breach in the door, before I heardthe most lusty screams in the lower part of the house. I had nodifficulty in recognizing the voice of Mrs. Boomsby. She heard thenoise of my bombardment, and was calling her husband in her usualaffectionate manner. But I was not at all disturbed by the outcry. Iwas even willing they should bring the police to their assistance. ButI did not expect any outside aid would be called in, for that would dothe Boomsbys more harm than it would me. In a word, I did not care whocame: I intended to break my way out of my prison, all the same.
Placing my stick edgeways in the opening I had made, I had a goodleverage, the end of the bar being outside of the stile of the door,and the face of it against the middle piece. I pushed against the endof the lever with all the power I had. The middle stile snapped in themortise, for the whole door was not more than an inch and a quarterthick. I had broken out the mortise, and the lever went "home." I couldno longer apply the implement with effect, and I expected every minuteto see the portly form of Captain Boomsby on the stairs, hurrying up tosave his prisoner. But I had no fear of him: if he attempted to preventmy departure, I should use the stick as an argument with him, as I haddone with the door.
Finding I could no longer use the lever to advantage, I grasped themiddle piece of the door with both hands, and gave a desperate pull atit. There were no nails or pins to resist me, and the parts of the doorsnapped like pipe-stems. I wrenched out the middle piece, and then theother panel. Then I had an opening in the door eighteen inches wide,which was almost enough to permit the passage of my fat foe.
The middle piece and both panels of the upper part of the door lay inmany pieces on the floor, in the room, and in the hall. I used allreasonable haste in making my way through the opening I had forced.When I was in the hall, I began to feel good-natured again; for I willnot deny that I was mad when I realized my relations with that snake. Idid not care a straw for Captain Boomsby. If it came to the worst, Ibelieved I could "handle" him, to use his own choice phrase, with theaid of the stick in my hand. I was determined not to let the piece ofhard pine go out of my hands while I remained in the house.
Mrs. Boomsby was still shouting for "Parker Boomsby," for she alwayscalled him by his full name when she was excited. I was willing sheshould shout. I felt quite cool, composed, and pleasant. I was ready tomake an orderly retreat from the house. But I had not lost all interestin that snake, which I believed was intended for my executioner. I putmy head into the opening I had made in the door. I found I could reachthe door of the closet; and with a very hasty movement I threw it wideopen.
I wondered whether or not I had killed his snakeship when I poked himback into his prison. The last I had seen of him he was wriggling onthe floor, stirring himself up in the most lively manner. But thereptile immediately proved that I had not killed him by darting outinto the room as lively as he had done the same thing before. I did notbelieve it was possible for him to get out through the opening by whichI had escaped from my prison; but I was not quite willing to wait totest the question. The villain could crawl like most other snakes withwhich I was familiar, but he also had a talent for leaping. Iconsidered it wise and prudent to begin my retreat without any delay.
I took a last look at the snake. He had retreated to the corner of theroom opposite the closet-door and coiled himself up, with his head inthe centre. He kept his eyes fixed on me, or I fancied he did. Helooked as ugly as sin itself. He seemed to me to be as near likeCaptain Boomsby
as one pin is like another. They both did business onthe same principle. Mentally I bade him an affectionate adieu. So faras I was concerned, he seemed to have none of the serpent's power offascination, for I had not the slightest inclination to continue gazingat him after I had gratified my curiosity. I descended the upper flightof stairs. The doors of the rooms on this floor were all open, and Isaw that the two rear chambers were furnished as bedrooms.
I went into one of these rooms, and seated myself in a chair. Mrs.Boomsby was on the floor below, standing at the head of the stairs,calling for her husband. It has taken me a long time to record theincidents of my escape so far, and my reflections upon them; but when Ilooked at my watch I found that only eight minutes had elapsed since Iconsulted it before, at half past five. Probably it was not fiveminutes from the time I first saw the snake till I was seated in thechair in the room below. The lady of the house had not, therefore,stood a great while in her present position. Her husband had had timeenough to come up-stairs since he was first called, but he probably hada customer in the saloon.
As I sat in the chair, I suddenly began to wonder whether snakes had atalent for coming down-stairs. The idea was just a little bitappalling, for I had no desire to meet his snakeship again. Neither thestairs nor the halls were carpeted. If he came down in the usual way, Ishould be likely to hear him tumbling down the steps. But I rejectedthis idea; for on further reflection I concluded that a snake would notcome down like a man, when there was a better way for one of his habitsto accomplish the purpose. Whatever the villain was, if he came down atall, he would take to the stair-rail. I felt sure of this, for itseemed to be the most natural thing for a snake to do.
I could not see how the snake was to get out of the room. I did notthink he could crawl up to the opening I had made, for there wasnothing for him to fasten to in his ascent. It did not seem to me thathe could get out unless he made a flying leap through the opening. Iwas by no means sure he could not do this; and I did not care to waitfor him to experiment on the matter. Just then it occurred to me that Iwas not the only person liable to be bitten by that snake. As I thoughtof it, I walked down the stairs. I knew that Mrs. Boomsby had a mortalterror of snakes when I lived with the family.
She confronted me in the hall of the second story.