Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1849-11-30


This heart within me burns
During a delightful excursion IN the vi
ciuity of the Green Mountains, few years
since, / had the good fortune TO meet with a
singular character, known in many parts of
I Vermont as the Rartlesnake Hunter. 1t was
a warm. clear day Of sunshine. in the middle
Of June. | saw him for the first time while
engaged IN a meteorological ramble amorg the
/ hills His head was bald, aud his forehead
was deeply marked with the strong lines OF
care aud age. His form WAS wasted and
meagre; but for the fiery FIgor Of ms eye, he
might have been supposed iucapacItaied by
! age and infiEmites Tor even a slight eXertion.
Eel he hurried over the huge hedges of roc K
with quick aud almost youthful tread, and
seemed earnestly searching among the crew.
( cts aud loose craEs, and stinted bushes around
/ him. All at once he started suddenly, drew
himself back with a sort of shuddering recoil.
+ then smote fercely with his staff upon the
rock before him. Another aud another blow,
and he lifted the lleless form Of a large rat
( tlesnake upon the end Of his rod.
The old mans eye glistened, but his liz
troubled as he looked steadlastly upon his
writing victim. Another Of the accursed
racei' he muttered between his clenched
teeth, apparently unconscious Of my pres
|eace.
( was now satisfied that :he person before
me was none other than the famous Rattle
snake Hunter. lie was known throughout
the nelChbOrhood as an outcast and "a wan
derer, obtaining a miserable subsistence from
/ the casual charities of the people around
+ him. His time was mostly spent among he
rocks and rude hills, where his only object
seemed to be the hunting and destroying of
( the Crotuhts horidus, or rattlesnake. | mme-
diately determined to satisfy my curiosity.
/ which had been strongly excited by the re
narkable appearance Of the stranger ard
for this purpose ! approached him.
Are there many Of those reptiles in this
vicinity 7" | enqulred pointing to the crushed
I serpent.
/ They are getting TO be scarce said the
old man, lifting his slouched hat aud wipjng
his bald brow Il have known the time when
+ you could hardly stir ten rods from your
/ door z this part OF the State without hearing
+ their o.v quick rattle at your side or seeing
4 their many coored bodies cojIing up IN your
path. But as said before, they are getting
/ to be scarce, the Internal race will be extinct
+ IN a few years, and thank God | have my
sell been considerable cause of their exter-
nination.'
( You must. of course, know the nature OF
. those creatures perfectly we'll" said !. do
ven nriiave il their power OF fascination or
-naruirg 2.
Itt a' a4a.S caun,enance fell There
oa-s 3 ra-t a'a struggle of feeling within him
& ..s #n- qav rs3. and he dashed his
rrown hand -udd.uly across his yes as if TO
cuucralR tenn; hat quickly recovering nm
self. h. answered 10 the ioW, deep voice OF
one thar was about 10 reveal some horrible
Secr-r-
II believe IN the rattlesnake's power Of fas-
cinafion as firmly as / believe IN my own ex-
isteuce"
Surely sa.d I, .'you do not believe thai
they have power over human beings -
Il do. | know it TO be so, SAID The old
ran. trembling. rs h. spoke ''You are a
straoger 20 ne. he said slowly, AFTER scru-
tinizinI my features for a moment, but ii
! you viii 90 down with me 70 the feet Of this
rock, 10 the shade there aud he pointed to
a group of leaning oaks that hung over the
decIvity, Il will tell YOU sad aud strange
story Of my own experience
1t may be supposed that readily assen:ed
TO this proposal. BestowIus one more blow
upon the rattlcSnake, as # 10 De certain Of
+ his death, the old man descended the rock
with a rapidity that would have endangered
! the neck of Il less practiced huntcr. After
reaching the place which ne pointed out, the
. Rattesnake Hunter commenced ms story IN
littltiNt - ftiLtA LBilE tllEt- fiat pre-
viousiy heard Of his education and intellect
ual strength.
+ Il was among the earlier settlers IN this
! part Of the country. | had just flushed my
education at Harvard, when | was induced
I By the tiatterlng representations Of some OF
( the earliest pioneers into the wild lands be
yond the Connecticut, TO seek my fortune IN
the new settlement. My wife''-the old
mans eyes ciistened ia an instant, and then
( a tear crossed his brown cheek--"my wife
accompanied me, Young and delicate and
beautiful as she was, To this wild and rude
. country. ] never shall forgive myself for
bringing her thiher. never. Young man"
continued be, you look Ike one who could
pity. You shall see the image Of the girl
who followed me % the new counry."-
And he unbound as he spoke ribbon from
his neck, with 4 small rnisature attached
to il.
1t was that Of a beautiful female but there
was en almost cLiIdiess expression 10 her