Monongalia Mirror

A Narrow Escape.

Bayard Taylor, in one of his agreeable letters from the Nile, which appear in the New York Tribune, gives the following account of an incident which came near putting an end to his travels:

"The men were about pitching my tent about some suspicious looking holes, but I had it moved to a clear, open space, not far distant. In the morning, as Achmet was about rolling up my matting, he suddenly let it drop, and rushed out of the tent, exclaiming, Oh, master come out!—There is a great snake in your bed!' I looked, and true enough, there was an ugly spotted reptile coiled up in the straw matting. The men heard the alarm, and my servant, Ali immediately came running up with a club. As he was afraid to enter the tent, he threw it to me, and with one blow I put the snake beyond the power of doing harm.—It was not more than three feet long, but thick and club-shaped, with a back covered with green, brown and yellow scales, very hard and bright.

The Arabs, who, by this time had come to the rescue, said it was a most venomous creature, its bite causing instant death. Allah Kerim!" (God is merciful!) I exclaimed, and they all heartily responded, 'God be praised!' They said that the occurrence denoted long life to me. Although no birds were to be seen at the time, not ten minutes had elapsed before two crows appeared and alighted near the snake. They walked around it at a distance, occasionally exchanging glances, and turning up their heads in a shrewd manner, which plainly said, No you don't old fellow; want to make us believe you are dead do you!' They bantered each other to take hold of it first, and at last the boldest seized it suddenly by the tail, jumped backwards two or three feet, and then let it fall. He looked at the other as much as to say, 'If he's not dead, it's a capital sham!' The other made a similar assay, after which they alternately dragged and then shook it, and consulted some time, before they agreed that it was actually dead. One of them then took it by the tail and sailed off through the air, its scales glittering in the sun as it dangled downward."