Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1848-03-22
From the New York Times
RattIeSnakc On n Steamboat.

A LEAF FROM THE LIFE OF A LOUISIANA SWAMP
DOCTOR.
Shortly before the usual time for vending
my way north, to the medical lectures, an OPP
portunity was offered me, by an ingenus negro
who had caught the reptile asleep, of exchang
ing a wel-worn blanket coat and two dimes, in
cash, for as fine specimen OF the Rattlesnake
as ever delighted the eye or ear of naturalist
nine inches across the small Of the back, six
feet seven-eights fan zach in length, eyes like
| gobular lightning, colors az gaudy as an Ar
kansas girls apron, twenty three rattles and a
great propensity TO make them heard, were the
strong points of my purchase.
Designing him as propitiatory offering to
one of the professors, my next care was to fur
nish him with fitting habitation. Nothing
better presenting itself, made him one out of
A pine box, originally designed for shoes, BY
mailing thin Stats tranverselv, SO as neither to
exclude air nor vision, but sufficiently close |
thought, to prevent him from escaping. The
day for nv departure arrived, and j had his
snakeshlp carried on board the boat destined to
beal me to Vicksburg where | would take an
Ohio steamer.
Unfortunately for the quietudc Of nv pet. on
the Yazoo boat was young Cockney lady who
hearing that there was live Rattesnake on
board, allowed her curiosity to overcome her
maiden diffidence sufficiently TO prefer request
that the young doctor "wOud make the hani-
NAL Oiler Ia process which the proverba
abStemousness of the 'hanimaI,' when in con
finement, was accomplishing rapidly, without
any intervention on my part. Politeness did'n
allow me 10 refuse and as it was consider
able of a novelty to the passengers, his snake
ship was kept constantly stirred up, and his rat
ties had very little rest that trip.
ofo 10 or
the wharf-boat at v, and transferring my
baggage, | lOuDged about till the arrival of a
boat would give me an opportunity of proceed
ing. The contents Of the box were quickly
discovered, and the snake had to undergo the
same infections as the day previnus, until thor
oughly veXed | made them desst, and resolved
thenceforth to conceal his presence, and allow
him to travel as common baggage.
''The shades Of night were falling FAST, as
the steamer Congress came booming along, nd
after q stay of few minutes for passengers,
proceeded on her way-obtainng none. how
ever but myself. The snake box was placed,
with the other baggage on the cabin deck in
front of the I" social hall, jam up as luck would
have il, against one of the chImnes, making the
location unpleasantly warm.
It was bright luminous night in the autumn.
The clear croupy cough of the steamer was
echoed book in prolonged asthmatie strains from
the dark woods lining the liver, like an army
of cowled gigantic monks, come from their cells
to see steamboat. Supper was over, and the
beauty Of the night had enticed the majority of
the passengers from the cabin to the open deck.
A gOodly number, myself among the rest, sat
in front of the social hall, smoking our cigars,
and swapping yarns of all climes, sizes, nations
and colGrs.
g., IL. lao.
inent person of the group, smoking his regalla.
and RECALLING the crowd with the manner in which
he ehoked a Cobra de -cOpella to deGth, that hal
crawled into his hammock in India, was an old
English sailor. who, from his own account, had
sailed over all the world, and through some
parts Of it.
Weighing the words down with a heavy bal
last of Oaths, he said he wasn't afraid of any
thing in the snake line, from the sea-serpent
down to the original snake that tempted Eve.
asked him if he had ever met with the rattle
snake since he had been in America thinking
would put his courage to the test on the NOR
row.
"Seen rattlesnake Yes, enough to sink
seventy -four! Went to Georgia on purpose
to kill em Pshaw To think man that
had killed a boa-cOnstrictor in fair fight, to
be afraid of little noisy dirt of anake, that
never grew bigger round than m arIn-spike!'
At this moment the boat was running a bend
near the shore, and the glare of huge fire at
a woodward was thrown directly under the chair
of the braggart, when to my utter establishment
[ saw there, snugiy coiied up, the huge pro-
portions Of my snake
l was SO Mortified and astonished, could nei-
ther speak nor move. l had left him securely
fastened in his cage-and yet. there he was at
sharf,y DO, ooI 1-la
like living Goals. The light was intercepted
reptile, il commenced its warning rattle, but
slowly and irregularly, showing that he was not
fully aroused.
"What is that r. exclaimed dozen voices.
The foot being withdrawn, the rafting cea=
sed before its nature or source could be clearly
traced.
"Twas the steam escaping said one.
GA goose hissin'," said another.
"T6e wind"
GA trick to scare the sailor" thought good
many but kne,cit ,cds a rattiesnake In his
deadly coil
The horror of that moment shall not att D,pt
to describe every moment expected 70 hear
the shrek of the sailor as the deadly fangs pen
etrated his fl sh and ! knew. if vein were
stricken, 70 power on earth could avail him, g.
! was powerIess to warn him OF his danger.
at sounded monstrons like rattlesnakc =
observed passenger I" but there Is no doc
tors or fool students on board, and nobody but
cusses like these would be taking snakes bout
J was gwins Up the Mississippi wunst, whcna
rattlesnake, belonging to medical student oF
board, got out and bit one Of the passengers.
The poor critter did Mt live ten minutes, and the
sawbone's premise not much longer reckon ~
Nv hair stood on end for there was an earn
estness about the man that told I.se he was not
testing.
"You didn't kill him, surely p asked sumo
one.
"Oh. no I'VE didn't 'zactly kill him, SIGH as
cuttin' his threat, pntttn' lead in his hoiler
cmbiiD, for that would have been takin, the
law inter our own hands hut we guy him five
hundred lashes, treated hin to a crat of tar and
feathers, made clean crop Of one ear, and
swaller-fork slit, under bit and half crop of the
other, and put him out on little Island, up to
his mouth in water, and the river risin' slam
foot an hour r
Not knowing but similar fate might soon
be mine, in agony, with the cold sweat stream--
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