They Prosecuted Their Work, And Returned Home; At Night The
Farmer Pulled Off His Boots And Went To Bed; And Was Soon After
Attacked With A Strange Sickness At His Stomach; He Swelled, And
Before A Physician Could Be Sent For, Died.
The sudden death of this
man did not cause much inquiry; the neighbourhood wondered, as is
usual in such cases, and without any further examination the corpse
was buried.
A few days after, the son put on his father's boots, and
went to the meadow; at night he pulled them off, went to bed, and
was attacked with the same symptoms about the same time, and died in
the morning. A little before he expired the doctor came, but was not
able to assign what could be the cause of so singular a disorder;
however, rather than appear wholly at a loss before the country
people, he pronounced both father and son to have been bewitched.
Some weeks after, the widow sold all the movables for the benefit of
the younger children; and the farm was leased. One of the
neighbours, who bought the boots, presently put them on, and was
attacked in the same manner as the other two had been; but this
man's wife being alarmed by what had happened in the former family,
despatched one of her negroes for an eminent physician, who
fortunately having heard something of the dreadful affair, guessed
at the cause, applied oil, etc. and recovered the man. The boots
which had been so fatal, were then carefully examined; and he found
that the two fangs of the snake had been left in the leather, after
being wrenched out of their sockets by the strength with which the
snake had drawn back its head.
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