Show A SNAKE SNARE STORY The BRONZED young missionary latet lately late late t ly returned from fromI I d Siam told me meS methe i ithe S the following h story etory 1 was a member memberS S S of a boat boat crew I S while at at college and when I started start start- cd ed for Siam as aa a t missionary immediately after graduation graduation gadu- gadu aton I r took with v ith mo me my single rowing rowing rowing row row- ing shell shel in which I had done my individual individual in in- divi ual training for the tile crew The rhe missionary station to which I Iwas was assigned was in the large town to n of on the river some BO lo miles abo e abo re Bangkok the capital and chief city of the country countr The town was not at all important except that thero there was a a celebrated temple there in which were kept several se sacred white hite elephants It was a strong stronghold IbId hold of heathendom and the tho little chapel chappl of the tile missionary station looking across river nt at the huge pagoda of white elephants was quite suite large enough for its humble bumble con rega- rega tion The river was nearly half hal a mile mie v wide ide and afforded a fine opportunity for exercise in my shell shel Every afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon at about 4 took a row and I hovered near the bank upon whIch the whIte hite elephant pagoda st stood watching matching the sacred creatures ast ey took their bath in the tile river I never neer dared venture very near for forthe forthe the tile priests of or the pagoda bore no love toward tho the missionaries and could easily do me rae some harm they v would justify them themselves to the town authorIties authorities author author- by saying they the were preventing me rue from working spells against the ele ele- ele- ele As it is was a sacrilege for a human being to mount the backs of the tile white elephants each one was waB driven to the river between two common elephants A sort of collar colar went around the white hite neck To the sides of this collar colar n were ere fastened two chains chain and the other ends of these chains were vere fastened to similar collars colars about the necks of the attendant elephants Priests sat upon the backs of the tho common elephants and by driving them them forward or stopping them could leador r hold the t The chains chams were vere very ver long in in I order to give the white plenty of freedom freedom freedom free free- dom when taking his 1118 bath batiz In general they walked between bet een their attendants docile docie enough and the drivers held the slack of the chains coiled in in their laps Among the few European residents of the lie the town was a young English merchant merchant mer mer- chant who having been a l member ember of the boat hew crew at nt Oxford and owning a shell shel felt fel bound to show England's superiority over o er the United States by beating me in a boat race on the He lie le i issued sued a challenge and I accept accept- ed The appointed day came The course was to be a a two mile stretch up river t. ri starting two miles mies below the tle missionary station staton The fhe race was wa a close cose ore ODe but my LY constant training told tol and I left my myad ad adversary behind several hundred yards before reaching the goal goal But Dut for the tile honor of America I wished to tomake tomake tomake make the tile defeat as severe as possible and I relaxed nothing of my efforts and past pat the buoy far ahead of the Englishman The Tho momentum momentum the tile boat Lont had ha gathered carried it along in inthe inthe the tle placid water and I lay upon my oars scarcely able to move I was wascom com completely exhausted AU Alt at once a tremendous bellowing caused CAuSe me to look up in alarm Unawares Unawares Un Un- I had floated quite n near ar the bathing place of the white elephants Ono One fellow was in the river bellowing with rage rag while on the bank batik were his two attendant elephants tugging and straining at the chains in the vain vain attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to make him come out of the tile water The elephants of Siam attain a lar larger larCer er size size than the elephant of any other country and this white ele elephant eli eli- ele was even larger than most Siamese elephants Observing how firmly the old fellow was as planted in inthe inthe inthe the river sand and that the other ele elephants ele- ele el labored under the disadvantages disadvantages of standing on the sloping bank I concluded that he lie would protract protract his Lath bath as Ion long as he chose AH All Al at once the tile attendant elephants ceased their struggling ln and a cry of terror burst from the lips of one of the priests and whatever I had believed before I am now certain cerain that those white priests love and venerate venerate ven yen erate their charges See the cried the priest the white kings king's life is in nger Floating down the river directly toward toward to to- ward the tile white elephant was a piece of wreckage e part of ofa a broken bamboo ri rift ft and lying coiled upon it were two of that hideous terribly venomous of water snakes the karo If I the tho wreckage kept it its course it would float foat against the elephants elephant's side If I he moved he might excite the tho vindictive e snake and receive receive a fatal blow The rile priests on the attendant ele elephants elo- elo ele halted baited haled them but Lut still sti the white elephant bellowed and swayed front from side to side ce Truly the white whiteS S kings king's lire life le was in danger I grasped my oars and forced the stern of the shell shel about and backing water I came rame up to the raft with its fatal latal freight and placing the point of the boat against it i gently pushed it before me oat into the current of the river I A shout of thanksgiving rose behind I me as I r drifted dried alone down stream I watching the tile serpents on the raft aft at atS attLe S the tLe stern The creatures moved ito un Ma easily y and anti stared at me with ing lag eyes and at last one dropped overboard overboard and id d sank sInk beneath beneath the sur- sur face faco S i 5 t i N wig 1 t iZ i iI I thought of the stories stores I had heard beard of the quarrelsome and revengeful dis disposition disposition dis- dis position of the how hoW 1 if disturbed it would follow boats for mies miles watching for a chance to leap over tho the thwarts and attack the row rowers rowers ers ershow how swift swit how tireless and how bow terrible it was Even the books book at atthe atthe atthe the station staton corroborated the stories of the natives from quaint old Montigny's Mon ron tigny's Voyage ge En Siam to the latest natural history from London all al agreed in their stories of the tao malignant malig nant dreadful And yet I did not believe beleve these stories I decided to anger anzer the serpent and andsen andsen sen seo what he would do doI I picked up a heavy piece of wood that was floating in the river and threw it t at at him striking him full ful on the neck With an al angry hiss he be raised his head and then angy deliberately cast himself himsel into the water and started to swim along the side of the tile boat eat low in the water and he ht I could easily reach me so I seized the oars and took a strong pull pul The boat shot ahead but hut on came the snake swifter than before and I took another pull pul hardly believing that tim the reptile a was really realy following me But Dut my doubt douht was as soon laid at rest for he darted along on the surface surface sur sur- face straight in my wake wako I bent the tile oars anti and made the tile shell shel go as M fast fat as my weary muscles would allow alow An And yet the snake seemed to gain and as I knew that in ill my tired tred condition I could not long keep up tip the race rae I decided to run ashore But the tile shore line lne was behind a forest of tall tal reeds growing far out into the river and the snake could kill ki me at athis athis athis his leisure when my boat stuck stuck in inthe an the them I thought of striking him with an oar but there he was a few feet behind behind behind be be- hind the boat and und before I could gat gatan gatan an oar out of its cumbrous fastenings fastenings' he would be upon me and even could could- I get an oar out in time it would be too long and un wielding to use at close quarters My only hope was to make for the first practicable landing and there therewa was wa none nearer than the tile bathing place of the white elephants It was my second race that day and the victory meant more than glory I put forth fortl all al my remaining strength thinking with chagrin chagin how easily I could leave the snake behind if i I were not so utterly exhausted On on tirelessly following the wriggling wrig wrig- gling hideous death and andi I see seethe the hor- hor head Get nearer the stern It passes the stern ster post and I mark his bis progress by the copper rivets in m the the side tide of the boat His nose is opposite the first rivet the second the third I give a mighty pull at the oars and anti it falls fals back behind the tile boat once more I hear the splashing of water I I glance up I am nearly opposite the elephants elephants' bathing place The old white elephant is is still sti in m the water the attendant elephants by his side I must make a a turn to pass Tass them and andreach andreach andreach reach the shore and und a as as I lose headway headway head hend- way in the turn the tue snake will wi overtake overtake overtake over over- take me Something flashes past my eyes as I pull pul hard on 01 the tue left oar to make the turn and the snake snake disappears The head priest prest of the tile temple stan stands erect on hi his elephant t. t As my boat oitt grates gates the tile shore the severed body of the and a a bamboo spear rise to the surface surface surface sur sur- face and float down do the river One good turn tur deserves another and the white elephant priest had saved my life le The Siamese have a curious method of rewarding a person who discovers a awid wild wid white elephant or saves eaves the life le leof of one and so I was taken to the tempie temple temple tem tem- pie and my mouth and ears were filled filled fill fill- fl ed with gold 1 For orthe the first time in my life le 1 regretted that I had small smal ears cars Norr The Non The ot of Siam is i a aVery avery avery very thick bodied thick bodice s snake ake some sole tour our feet feel long covered with scales It I is isola of out ola a grav gray color above e e abo and J fellow elow beneath It Its head is marked by a maze of crisscrossed cross criss-cross crisscrossed cross cris-cross- cross criss-cross- ed lines lne that give ghe e it i a very strange and terrible terrible ter ter- tec- tec appearance S |