Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-07-21


Position.
A correspondent of the Missouri Democrat
writing from Paoli, Kansas Territory, on the
18th of June, relates the following incident Of
bis " personal experience:
On last Sunday evening the air was so be.
witchingIy balmy, and the sky so softly yelled
by shadowy clouds, that | was seduced into a
heightened stroll along the bluffs, which proud.
" aspire to overlook the outrageous woods
lands on the one side, aud the sun.lit plains
upon the other, until | reached an elevated pin.
nacle, so tall as to command a panoramic view,
whose picturesque and varied beauties ravished
all my senses and lost me in most dreamy
~reveries.
reclined upon the summit of the rock with
nv head upon my hand, until, presently, it
rolled away upon the cushion of spriDgy moss,
which grew there like an emerald diaGem, and
l was locked in that strange slumber which
leaves yoqe semi.conscious, and vet ~restrains
v~olition. l had laid thus several minutes, with
my left arm stretched to it's extent, when at the
extremities of the fingers of that hand, there
was a sensation, new and peculiar, that sent a
thrill of pleasure to the mind and heart; it was
soothing, drawing, and agreeably titilating, as
- NAS '5SA Nio3otFibe away Ill u utlIOUb-
seif-absorption. Just then, from this sort of
blissful abandon, | was startled by the report
ofa gunshot within a few PAGES of me-. | sprang
to my feet, and with establishment saw nv
friend Mitchell standing near and gazing at
me with a fixed look Of CHASTITY horror. Be-
fore could inquire what he meant, my atten-
ton was caught by the sound of the most
shrill, keen, ringing rattle that ever penetrated |
human ear; and on looking down, | discovered
a huge rattlesnake with CORY head, quivering
and writing in the agonies ofdeatb, and send
ing forth from his erect tail the terrible tocsin
that | heard.
From this fearful propinquity. | began to re.
alize my position, but not until | heard an ex.
PLANTATION from H., could fully understand and
appreciate its horrors.
lie told me that my resting place was the top
of a rattlesnake den, and pointed out the ori-
fees through which they passed; that he was
in the habit of coming there on Sunday eve-
nings to shoot rattlesnakes; that when he ap-
that evening, and saw me lying npon
the den, he supposed | had been bitten and
was dead; that he crept nearer and saw my
respiration. and knew | was alive, but discover
ed a menstrous snake licking my hand and
it with a Shiny coating, preparatory
to deglutition; that he made a slight, i%nvolun-
lary shuddering exclamation of My God! which
drew the snakes attention and caused him to
turn his head, when lie discharged a load of
puck shot into bis neck, mangling and tearing
It to pieces, and thus saved my life. He had
told me this, which took bat a moment,
rattles all around brought us to arecOl-
ection that we were not yet free from danger.
We saw ten or fifteen large rattlesnakes APP
,roaching US from every quarter, with eyes
reyepgefulIy, barbed tongues thrusting
hreateningly, and rattles~ sounding alarmingly.
they are brave and cannot be intimidated, and
viii die over the dead body of their companion
eoner than desert it. We knew the indo,nita.
character Of our enemy, and N. and /, with
lis double barreled gun, and my sticks ana
tones, fought our wav out as best we could. t
lou may imagine that my nerves were slightly
gitated that evening, and that I dreamed Of J
makes that night. NJ. has killed one hundred c
nd seven Of ibem-The largest of which had '
Tenty-six %rattles. He says the Indians, who ;
ave been in the habit Of hunting them for
ANY years, have killed much older ones, and
ave slain thousands.