Show t a T- T ADVENTURERS' ADVENTURERS CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU Snake Saved by a Deadly By FLOYD GIBBONS Famous Headline Hunter ELLO EVERYBODY HELLO Here we are again boys and girls worshiping at the dangerous shrine of the Goddess of Adventure in real nl Old Lady Adventure sure does some interesting things in r life stranger life stranger than anything the fiction boys c can think of For For 1 instance instance in in- stance who ever heard of a snake saving anyone anyone's s life l e And yet yet it did happen Edgar Bell of Mountain Lakes N. N J. J says that a a. a big copperhead copperhead copperhead copper copper- head snake saved two lives and by golly he can prove it I On a a. a blistering day in August Ed and a chum of his decided decide to to explore explore ext ex ex- t an old canal that in the towpath days connected the Ohio river nver and the Lake Erie ports The canal long since out of use ran through I a lonely uninhabited densely wooded country The boys paddled along I enjoying the scenery until they came to a houseboat moored to the bank and then their trouble commenced I 1 Well Vell sir they were floating along lazily a few feet from the houseboat when the cabin door banged open and a wild wild eyed bearded giant plant staggered out with a double shotgun in his hairy hands The man was obviously crazed with liquor and Ed Etl sa says s he lie must have thought they were pink elephants or someI something something some some- I thing because he suddenly covered ered the boys with the gun and tried to o draw a bead on them i He lie Was Vas Determined to Shoot Thc Them I The boys tried to reason with him but he seemed to be beyond reasoning Fortunately Ed says the man was so unsteady on his feet I that he couldn't keep the gun pointed at their canoe long enough to get in a shot but it was plain that he was trying his best to do just that Ed says too that every time that gun swung his way he thought he was wa looking into twin entrances to the Holland HoIland tunnel Ed admits that he and his chum were scared to death Their canoe made such an easy mark that they didn't dare start to paddle away r r ly i t sr r Ib j A Copperhead Lay in Position to Strike for while the drunken man seemed to have some difficulty aiming he was still able to keep the muzzle of that shotgun pointed in their general general general gen gen- eral direction He couldn't have missed at that distance And there wasn't a soul within miles of them i The man must have had some insane idea that the boys were attacking attacking attacking at at- tacking him Ed says because he kept jabbering curses and trying frantically to balance himself for a shot Finally with the muzzle of II the gun still pointed in their direction the maniac leaned against the cabin to steady himself and squinted along the sights Copperhead to the Rescue Gosh I What a spot to be in Ed says he felt powerless to move a muscle as he saw the muzzle of the gun grow steadier He had hadI I about decided to overturn the canoe and swim for it when he saw someI something something some some- I thing on the houseboat roof that made him forget his own danger and andI I cry out in alarm A deadly copperhead snake lay poised in position to strike just just a few inches from the mans man's face Look out Ed screamed The drink-crazed drink man raised his head for a moment at the sudden cry then he grinned evilly and squinted along the barrel again Ed EdI I saw by his tense expression that this time he was going to pull the trig trig- I ger A wracking nerve-wracking second passed And then the snake struck Once twice three times that vicious vicious copper-colored copper head flashed in the sunlight and ana each time those poisonous fangs found their mark markin in the mans man's face The fhe victims victim's gun clattered to the deck His hand t went to his cheek and he turned and looked in in a dazed manner at this new enemy Ed says the sight of the poisonous snake seemed t to steady him and as the snake drew back to strike again the man deftly caught it behind the neck and killed it with his bare hands Venom Venont Brought Him to His Senses And now boys and girls comes the strangest part of the whole ad ad- venture Ed says that the deadly venom from the snake seemed to bring the houseboat man back to his senses He thinks the poison had some chemical effect on the mans man's blood because when he turned and looked at the boys his entire expression had changed and they knew they had to deal now with a sane man He gave them a sad smile Im sorry boys he be said Guess Ive I've been doing a little too much drinking drinking- That copperhead sort of brought me around to my senses Come in Well sir the boys went in the houseboat cabin and helped their erstwhile enemy doctor himself They knew that in many cases the bite of the copperhead means a quick death and they watched him closely Im all right the man said weakly Whiskey acts as an anti anti- dote And it did Aside from a n little sickness the man was soon as well as ever but Ed couldn't help feeling sorry for the copperhead That snake should have had a Carnegie medal he says and I agree with him Dont Don't you e 4 Service |