The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1873-02-01


amongst the men, that the general of
the brigade consulted with his brother
officers concerning the choosing of fresh
ground; but from the strength of our
position, this was negatived; and the
next morning the men were encouraged
to hunt out our reptile foes, the result
being the exhibition of four large-sized
rattlesnakes, whose career of danger to
man had been brought to a conclusion.
There was no respite for me, though
before many hours had elapsed, an Irish
man was led in, with a strap tightly
fastened round one arm TO arrest the
spread of the poison, while his hand dis
played the customary punctures, and
the sufferer the usual symptoms of pros
tration. In this case, though, the effect
of the stimulant exhibited was to send
the patient into profound state of I'M
consciousness, which somewhat alarmed
me, from it's being contrary effect to
that usually produced-the power of
the poison being such that a pint of
strong whisky did little more than re-
vive the sufferer.
The Irishman was dismissed, cured,
the following morning; but two hours
after, another poor fellow from his com
pany was led ips crying and moaning
like child.
80 docthor, docthor dear!" ne cried,
isn't cruel to keep the boys here in
! such nest of snakes TIM kilt iIstire-
ly wild one of the little pison bastes wild
a rattletail, and it's such small place
We hardly can see it. Wirrasthruel
why did lave ouIe ireland at all at alp
where there isn's vinimous haste to
come and devour boy, is he's iver SO
hungry"
"There, there! stop that bowling,
my good fellow, l said, g and let me
look.
"Is it bowling We call it, docthor
dear, wbin the pison's running all
through yea. But PLACE be a-lookin' at
it before I'm kill intirely. There,
docthor. dear, it's thin two small bowls,
list rs If some one had brogged 'em in
wild two pins. O docthor dear, shall
die? shall 1 have to be berrid in the
cowld airth widout bein' dacently
walked? Ochonel why did L come ont
at all at all ?"
''There, confound it man, be quietl'
I exclaimed; and then with little APP
plieation of bandage and lancet, I gave
the poor fellow the stimulant, which lac
seemed to gulp down as if it were so
much water, until at last insensibility
ensued; and noted down in my little
case book that the effect of poison and
antidote was different upon men of the
Celtic race, and 1 lay down CHAT night
in my tent very quiet and thoughtful.
Not a single rattlesnake had been
killed that day, in spite of the most en-
ergetic search; and l began to hope
that the peril would soon be a thing OF
the past-the snakes fleeing from the
presence of man: but the very next
morning, directly after leaving the mess
tent, the colonel come to me himself,
accompanying anothersIrishman from
the same company.
cit will never do, Ellison" the colo
mel said; 81 really cannot stand it. 1t
is not just to the men. We must move;
for there's a perfect panic amongst the
poor fellows"
Don't be uneasy" I said, assisting
the stricken man into the hospital-tent
q fancy the evil is nearly at an end.
Here, hold this poor fellow mp, L ex-
claimed to a couple of the dressers.
Now reach me that bottle. Quick,
man; the poor fellow is fainting"
Yes, for heavens sake be quickl
cried the colonel, as his private gave a
hollow groan. :
NO. no, nor I said to my aide;
g not that bottle; there's another which
1 prepared this morning. That's right.
No, never mind lancing the place Now
then, hold his head up a little higher.
Does your throat feel CONSTRUCTED
swelled up-my man Do you think
you can swallow %
"Shure Wis, yer homer, just little. >
"Drink that up, then, every drop,
I said, placing in an assistants hand q
tin cup containing about a pint of the
mixture L had made ready. Now
then no finching-every drop-not {
drain left. All, would youl Hold his
headr'
After the first taste, the unfortunat,
patient shrank back; with my help hi
head and nose were firmly held, and thu
whole pint of fluid poured down hi
throat; when, with a howl resembling
that of wild beast, he kicked out
sprang up, and then ran out of the tent
to the great establishment of the colo
rel.
"What, turned homepatistr he salt
e giving poison to cure poison?"
go dear, no. That was only pre-
paration of aloes, ialap, and tarta
emetic L don't think he viii wan
another dose"
q My dear Ellison, how can you doc
tors be so brutal and callous when fel
low-creature's life is at stake?"
Cool, that, for a charge -command
ing colouel of a thousand human butch
ers, replied, laughing g You see
colonel, the facsof the matter is this
I've been tricked once too often. Their
were four genuine coses Of snake-bite
which I successfully treated with whis
ky; when the Hibernian element of tn
regiment approved so of the doctoring
; and slammed 50 successfully, that
must confess to having been taken in
,
By the way, though, would you like tn
last taste of my Irish mixture?"
Confound it, nol'
The Landlady's Complaint.
, There's nobody knows that woman
that has the charge of family goe
, through, but God Almighty that mad
/ her. I've known what it was to hav
; women-borders that find fault-there'
! some of EN- would quarrel with me an
5 everybody at my table; they woul
} quarrel with the Angel Gabriel if h
lived in the house with 'em, and scol