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Show Huge Python g Nearly Kills a Collector In ai recent lssuo of Tho American Magazlno is tho following account of a combat between nn enormpus pyth on and Jacob or Snakey Schmltt, a collector for the Now York Zoological Zoologic-al Gardens. Schmltt, who has collected col-lected reptiles all over the world, has always contended that tho average man of averago strength is a match for snakes that weigh up to ono hundred hun-dred and fifty pounds. Over that weight, ho sayB, the snake is likely to win. - 'It was in a Colombian Junglo that Snakey came to conclusions with a boa weighing in tho neighborhood of two hundred pounds. Schmltt had captured tho boa In a box trap and had gone out a'ono from his camp with a gunny sack to fetch in his prize. Seizing tho snnko by the tall ho began to drag It out foot nftcr foot of wriggling, resisting muscle. "Right here It might be explained that snakes of tho constricting typo aro well nigh harmless unless they can grip somo stationary object with their tal's. They must havo n fulcrum. ful-crum. So Snake v dragged out the boa, foot after foot. And, unbeknown to the collector, tho Bnnke gripped a small tree with Us tall. Suddenly the snako asserted itself nnd tho nerveless Schmltt found hlmso'f embraced. em-braced. Three great muscular coils held h'im'in a vlso. His Tegs ' Voro pressed together and his loft arm pinned pin-ned against his body. "Snakoy mado uso of his only free member, his right hand, and with this he seized tho boa about the neck Then he began struggle that but few , If any, human beings had ever be-foro be-foro experienced. Tho angry boa Btruck timo nnd again at the coMcct-tor's coMcct-tor's face, but ho desperately gripped tho rcptllo by tho throat. Tho great colls tightened and tightened and Schmltt felt tho breath of life being squeezed out of him, but his now tried courage novcr forsook him. "It was nn unequal struggle, but Snakey Schmltt had been In many n tight corner before nnd he had never nev-er acknowledged defeat. So for two hours the boa tried to squcezo the life out of Schmltt, but Schmltt fought back and at last ho began to win; ho felt tho colls beginning to relax and his Iron fingers grow moro tight about tho boa's threat. Then tho colls became loose enough for Snakey, with a superhuman effort to free himself. A sudden kick at tho snake's tall ended tho battle. Tho great reptllo relaxed and before Snakey Sna-key fell to tho ground from exhaustion exhaus-tion ho had put the squirming length of the huge constrictor into tho sack." |