The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-08-08
I lammed away at him,

and away he went around the mountain,
and the bullet arter him-so good man,
so good boy. / stood chock still. Pres
emily round they come like q streak NV
sunshine, both buck and bullet, bullet
singing, 'Whar is it ? whar is it . Go
1t, my fellow says I, and away they
went, round the loaf, like Blue Ridge
storm. Afore you could crack your fin
gers, they were around again, buckelty-
whet. Jist as they got agin me, bullet
throwed him.
But Uncle Davy came out. strongest
in his snake stories. Once, when he was
out blackberrying, he felt something at
his bare legs. Looking down at last, he
found that it was the biggest rattle snake
that uver was seen OF heaan tell Ont
would fill washin' tub to the brim-
Thar he was peggin' away at my legs and
feel like he were the hungriest critttr on
yerth. The upshot of it was that mo-
seyed off home at an orful rate; it's no
use to say how fast did run, fur nobo-
dy would b'leeve it. Reaching home he
swallowed seven pales of milk and two
gallons of whiskey, and was never the
worse. We must let him tell at length
his wonderful adventure with the horned
snake;
Il was not thinking about serpunts,
when by zucks, I cum right plum on one
NV the curiousest ! ever seen in all my
born days. There it lay on the side NV
a steep pressipisc, at full length, ten foot
long, its tale straight out, right up the
pressipise, head big as sasser, right
toards me, eyes red as forked lightnin',
lickn' out his forked tongue, and | could
no more move than the Ball Rock on
Fishers Peak. But when | seen the
stinger on his tail, six inches long, and as
sharp as needle. stickin' out like
cocks spur, l thort I'd drapped in my
tracks. jumped forty feet down the
mountain, and dashed behind big white
oak tree, five, foot in diameter. j The
snake he cotched the end NV his tail in
his mouth, and cum rolin' down the
mountain arter me jst like hoop, and
list as landed behind the tree, he struck
t. other side with his stinger, and stuve
| it up clean TO his tail, smack in the tree
He were fast.
"Uv all the hissin' and BLOWN you
uver hearn sense you seen daylight it TUX
the lead. If there'd a been forty nine
forges a BLOWN at once, it couldn't beat
it. He rared and charged, Tapped round
the tree, spread his mouf and grinned at
me orful, puked, and spit quarts and
quarts uy green pisen at nae, and made
the ar stink with his nasty breath. l
seen there were no time to loose; cotch-
ed up old Bushsmasher frum whar I'd
dashed him down, and tried to sheet the
tarnil thing; but he KEEP sech a moyin'
about, and sech splutteration that
couldn't get a bead at his head, fur
knowed it wasn't wuth while to shoot him
anywhar else. So 1 KEEP my distance till
he wore hisself out, then put ball right
between his eyes, and he gin up the
ghost.
''Soon as he were dead, / happened tel
look up inter the tree, end what do you
think ? Why sir, it were dead as her.
rim; all the leave were wilted like fire
had gone through its branches.
81 left the old feller with his stinger in
the tree, thinkin' it were the best place
fur him, and moseyes home, 'tarmined
not to go out again soon. Now people
may talk as they please bout there being
no sech things as horned snakes, but what
I've seen I've seen, and what I've jest
norrated is as true as the third of Mathy
| mout add that l passed that tree three
weeks arterward, and the 1eavos and the
whole tree were as dead as door-nail.
A BROTHERS ENDORSEMENT.
| Frnr,, tha Trnnton Romictor