Chapter 26 Catching Spiders

Spiders fighting can be quite entertaining.In the 50's Fabian and his friends had to catch them as their plaything.Most probably those spider were of the jumping type and there were 500 species of them of the Salticdae family. All the jumping spiders survived on small insects like flies and other preys.They built their nest among leaves.

Of course there were many types of spiders but the type Fabian caught for fighting was a tiny spider which can be captured and bred in small match box.These spiders had dark bodies and the male fighting spider had white face,black eyes and mouth pieces.They have huge claws to fight.The female spider cannot fight with their short claws and their face were dark,and they got a big back side.

So only the males will be captured for the contest.Joe,Fabian's friend often ganged up to catch these spiders.Apparently those captured in their gardens were weaklings and one day Joe suggested they go hunting for better spiders at a different location.He suggested the river side.

Francis overheard and insisted in following them.
"Aiya,you small boy cannot follow us",said Fabian."Who said I am small,if I cannot go you can not go,too",replied Francis.
Joe seeing that said,"Allow him to follow but he must follow us closely and do not make noise".Francis thus agreed and they for the nearest river side,near Durian Sabatang.

They near a quite secluded spot near the Government's Medical Practitioner's bungalow.The Doctor living there was an Englishman.He had two huge dogs.Joe and Fabian kept their silence as they neared that bungalow,but their were to catch spiders after the river bund.

The shrubs below the bund could harbor a host of big spiders,thought Joe as they adhere closely below to the bunds which was outside the compound of the bungalow.The dogs in the bungalow were howling and barking a loud,fortunately they were not released and the Doctor apparently at work at the General hospital.

After going through the shrubs for a while Fabian noticed a spider among two leaves,it was a big spider.A happy Fabian shouted to Joe,Look I have a Champion here and I am going to catch it.As he was about to grab the two leaves where the spider was Francis pulled him hard from behind.

"What the hell,you think you are doing?"yelled Fabian.
"Look a snake",Francis replied,and Fabian took a hard look.Sure enough there was a green viper among the branches of a shrub nearby."Anyway,thanks Francis,but that is not a snake"."It is a viper,you stupid",said Fabian.

"Huh? not knowing that was a viper,not stupid,you dump,dump"."If you were bitten by that then who will be stupid".
"Yeah,lah you saved me,okay?Thank you okay?"Fabian having said that, located a long piece of stick by breaking down one of the taller shrubs.

With that he lifted up that green viper and wanted to fling it into the river but it slipped and felt short on to the compound of the bungalow.Fabian rushed and struck the viper in the middle.That paralysed the viper but the viper was still moving.

Joe came and said,"Fabian you must crushed its head,you know snake or viper have photogenic eyes.Even when dying it can record who killed it and should the mate come looking and viewed its eyes it will know who killed it.So you must crushed its head and eyes."

"Luckily you were not bitten by it,otherwise its venom will be injected into your body can caused degeneration of tissue and blood cells, causing also intense pain and swelling."

"I think the viper was waiting for the spider to come out from hiding,had you grabbed those leaves it would have bitten you and that could be fatal".
"Yeah I had my dear little brother to thank,right?".Having said that,Fabian took hold of another stick to crush that viper's head.

On crushing its head Fabian used the long stick to shove the viper into the fast flowing river and the viper floated away.Fabian then said,"Now its mate would not find it anymore".

Having done that Fabian returned to the spot to check whether the spider was still there.Fortunately it was and Fabian caught with both hands.It was a big spider indeed.Happily Fabian put the spider into his match box.All continued catching spiders and catch a few extra thereafter.

All other spiders caught did not matched Fabian's spider.Now he went round challenging others and his spider emerged Champion for few days.After few days the spider appealed sickly and Fabian let it go among his mother's flower plant.However the next day that spider some how had disappeared.Fabian hunt everywhere for it but could not find it.

That spider could have been devoured by a lizard.Anyway Fabian's spider was Champion for only a short period.Through he tried very hard to find another champion,he failed miserably.