Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-07-24
The Enemy of the Snakes.
How Hogs Destroy the serpents.

The Anglo-Saxon or American differs
from the effete East Indian respecting
veneration for snakes. He kills the
snake and fosters the hog, who is de-
cidedly the most inveterate snake-killer
of the two. When the Anglo-American
undertakes the settlement of new
country, he wants three things above oil
others An axe, a rife, and hog. If
he chances 10 90 into the wilderness
alone, however, the hog soon follows as
an inevitable consequence. Just In
proportion as the hog multiplies and
increases in newly-settled country, in
the same ratio do serpents and poisonous
reptiles disappear. 1t is not meant to
be implied that any such motive as
snake-killing enters into the calculations
of the efrontiersman in raising hogs. In
general, he does not give the snakes
that may infest his neighborhood a
thought. He kills them when they
come in his way, and forgets them:
The hog does the most of that sort OF
work. Heis most industrious forager,
always roofing around in quest OF seme-
thing to eat. In his incessant search
for proyender he oftimes disturbs the
snake in his lair, who as rule would
prefer to be left alone but the hog
won't let him alone, but snaps him be-
tweens his teeth, crushes, and devours
him.
These are also active enemies of the
snake to be found among the things
that are .fcrG nature, such as the deer,
the elk, etc., which kill by crushing
him beneath their sharp hoofs. But
these animals only destroy the snake
when he comes in their way. The hog
goes at him with the two-fold incentive
of destroying an enemy and devouring
hiA. The result is the snakes give up
the contest after while and glide OIL
to some rocky fastness or impenetrable
fen. The hog is almost imperyious to
the bite of the most deadly serpent.
Like the hero of Greek fable he has but
one assailable spot, which lies, not in
his heel, but in his neck. If the snake
chances to strike him on the main
artery, where it passes through the neck
near the skin, the hog dies. If he
strikes him at any other point the wound
amounts to no more than the prick of a
pin would, the virus taking no effect
whatever. The quadruped seems to be
aware of this one danger, and guards
against it with the skill of veteran
warrior.
The writer once witnessed combat
between q SOW and rattlesnake of the
largest kind, his attention being at,
tracted to the scene by the angry screams
of the hog. The snake lay in coil be-
meath spreading live oak. The broad,
combative head was raised rigidly about
six inches over his coiled body, his eyes,
bright as diamonds, flashing fury, and
his forked tongue darting defiance at
his enemy. Every muscle, now in ten.
sion, could be traced beneath his skin,
while his tail, slightly erected and tremu'
lous with nervous energy, gave forth
from the tapering rattle at it's extremity
that peculiar, sharp, ringing sound q
person never forgets who has heard il
once. The SOW, with bristles erect and
tusks bare, circled round the snake,
gnashing her teeth, grunting and snarl.
ing at him with rage. She showed
game, but nothing like the nerve of hel
sinewy antagonist. The SOW made di-
vers demonstrations or feints, to which
the snake responded by striking from
half-coil, but each time instantly recov-
ering himself. At length, the SOW
coming within his reach, the snake
made desperate spring of his entire
length, fastening his fangs in her fore
leg as she sprang away from him. The
SOW ga We an agonized squeal, but quickl
disengaged herself, and before the
snake could recover his coil her foot
was on his neck, and in another instant
she had snapped off his head.