The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1846-04-09
From the Spirit of the Times.
"A 'sNAKE-BIT FRESHMAN -


a few weeks since in the mountains of Nor
kan county, Tennessee. The party made
up Of the best material consisted of Judge
A., ]. M. W., ]. A., and seme two or three
veteran hunters, rife for sport and full of fun
As every day hath its night aud every rose
its thorn, SO this mirthful party had its "pest"
in the shape ola huge raw-boned loquacious
Irishman, who, unlimited had quartered him
sslfin the camp, boarding and lodging at
the expense of the crowd, and contriving, in
couatless ways, to render himself nuisance
when awake, and when asleep accomplishing
the same praiseworthy end without any con
trivance at all-it being natural gift, and
used by the possesser with most tormenting
effect. The man nsnored-and hoW he snored,
will presently appear. -..s ...,
They soop learned by his celFerra&al
and behaviour that he was afraid Of snakes
generally, and 'ould snakes in particular;
indeed, think shat the sequal warrants the
bold assertion that he would have given long
odds in favor of Stock creek gouging,
rather than face an l6 inch moccasin with
"bells on his tall" as lie termed rattles
The man had heard some awful snake yarns
or tales since his lavng the sod" this was
evident from the morbid dread, yes, horror,
he felt of the crawling tribe. Well, with the
Queen of Sheba he might say that "the
half had not been told him." after nights
experience at a hunters camp in Tennessee.
On the second night of his intrusion he
made himself more than usually welcome by
"getting, sir, somewhat, sir, shot," as Tom
Murray said. He told long dry yarns, all
having more or less remote bearing OIL his
own prowess or skill, and more than once
insinuated desire to make a demonstration,
by having the use of the skull of tony jim
tlemin present and two fut thorn, jist a mi
nit!'' Well, all this was very pleasant, and
have no doubt perfectly satisfactory, so far
as he individually was concerned, but with
his hearers it was quite different thing; yet
still they endured it; but the cup Of pa
tiencc was nearly full, and that night it
overhowed, bearing off on its boiling cur
rent, the cause" of the " rise," to regions
Tar away and unknown. After he had wea-
ried himself with his " blather" and showed
symptoms of turning in, Jim A. told him
a feU yarns bearing on the much dreaded
snake subject, and particularly on their size,
variety, and amiable temper in those parts,
dwelling at length upon their apparent social
disposition, assumed only with fell intent to
those whose nearer acquaintance they sought.
This evidently did not sit well -pn-the ex-
cited stomach of this pugnacious sprig-of-
shiilaah, as was manifested by the furtive
and uneasy glances he ever and anon cast at
his blanket and /" location" But bed time
came, and after accommodating his sleeping
ground, he proceeded to count his beads and
the chances of being "snake-b bit" before day,
then "tucking in" his blanket and wishing
=" the sowls of all snakes in these perts in
,perthicular" in country where, TO say the
very least, they would have but slim chance
for indulgng in their natural torpidty, he
fell asleep. @"
And now the storm began. His snoring
grew fast and furious, loud and long; oc-
casionally sort of half snort, half grunt,
terminated with "snakes by jabers, blast
their sowls!" "Ugh ugh!" BY way Of
variety he would hold his breath few Sc
conds, and then snore again, and such snor
ing! my stars, that could spell it! 1t was
a sort Of cross between the breathing of al
asthmatic and the braying of a superannuatet
donkey, whose will lasted longer than his
wind. Well, it thus Continued with the re-
gularity of the whip-poor-will's cry, until
say half an hour before day-break, when jim
w. whose stock of patience had long ago
evaporated, unrolled himself from his ban
ket, saying in his usual quiet way," Humph
I'll stop that internal concert, or start the
maker of it!'' He then awoke Jim A., and
the Judge, when plot was laid and thus
carried into execution. ae, ..a.-
w. got his hunting and going to
where the offal of large deer had been
thrown, he cut off about seven feet of gut
ard securing the ends with twine to retain
the contents, he tied one end of it tight ant
fast to corner of Paddy's shirt-tail that had
wandered through a rint'' in the seat of his
breeches, coling it all up by his side, snake
like and true. All things thus arranged, the
conspirators laid down again, and at the con
clusion Of one of the stage-horn snores witt
.he." snakes sowls'' variation, Jim A. roaref
outsat the top of his voice, HU wRE! Hi
WEE! Abig copperheaded black rattlesnake
eIspsn feet long, has cra,pled up my breeche'
and IS tying himself in a double-6ow knot
round my body!"; giving the Irshman, with
every word, "a furious dig in tho side with
his elbow, with running accompaniment OF
his shins with his heels! Of course, all thi.
noise and hurting awoke him quick and wide
inshis first movements he laid his hand or
the nice cold coil Of gut at his side. Hiss
Ing, from between his clenched teeth, he
made bound that carried him some ten fee
elear,of the camp. Casting one wild lool
behind he tore of with the rapidty Of light
ming around the camp in a circle of some
- - ouar, hound shout