The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-08-03

and drew every bit of the poison out of it.
They tied me up, put on leaf or two,
and never felt it afterward.''
Smith went away, and after he had
been gone half .hour he called up from
the rocks, and we went to him. He stood
smiling, and exclaimed, Here's an early
bird out for an airing" On the rock, and
pinned to it by forked stick, writhed
reptile about four feet in length. Jake
told Eddy to hold the prong down: TAX
ing out a small vial from a vest pocket he
saturated a bit of black wadding with the
liquor it contained. He placed the wad-
ding on stick, and then put it into the
serpent's mouth. 1t operated like magic.
The snakes body dropped fiat on the
rock
"That'll do" said Jake. "Take the
prong off. He's dosed like q CHARM
Jake then held the snake by the tail,
and said that the stuff would keep it un-
conscious for ten minutes. The reptile
had six fully developed rattles. These were
cut off. The ten minutes had scarcely
elapsed before the snake revived. His
throat commenced swelling, his eyes pro-
truded, and he shook his tail, but the rat
ties were gone. He tried to shake again,
and then sank his fangs deep into his body
again and again, frothed at the mouth and
died apparently in agony.
II just did that to let you know how
mad RATHER gets when he is clipped
said Jake. "You see how blue the inside
of his mouth is? Well, that's the way
they all get. That prom ged tongue of his
is not dangerous. Behind that long tooth
is small bag that l will show you after a
while. 1t is a kind of sack about half
as big as pea. In that is the poison
When a RATHER gets mad, and just before
he strikes, he'll give his teeth bath of
poison and then drive in the fangs. The
teeth are hollow on the ends, and no mat
ter if they 60 through a mans clothes, the
poison won't wipe off, but it will drop
when the teeth touch blood.'
The sun was very hot and the barren
ledge, exposed to the full rays, was get
ting scorching. Each man was provided
with stout hickory stick, with prong
at the lower end. Each put on his feet
rubber bottoms made out of castoff shoes,
in order to get over the rocks without
making noise, each took different d.
rection, with the understanding that they
should meet at the spring two miles over
the hill, at noon.
"YOu come with me-" said Jake, whist
ling for the dog, and the hunters separated.
They were provided with shrill whistles,
and it was specially understood that they
should at no time be separated among the
rocks at distance beyond hearing, so that
whenever one might want help the other
much time.
1--WE generally find 'em laying stretched
on the rocks. They're naturally lazy, and
t1,ox, toll tn tho lilo 1noEs tn
They don't do much but sleep. On these
hot rocks they become full of poison.
Look there at that dog! will you?"
"Maj.' stood on a ledge Of yellow rock
about fifty yards from where we were
His body was silent as statue, and his
tail wagged with the regularity of pen
dulum. We approached silently, and
when we were within five feet of the rock
the dog left his post and got behind his
master. Jake pointed ahead, and there
lay rattlesnake seven feet in length
sleeping in the sun. 1t lay stretched out.
The hunter walked up carefully, placed
the pole in position, and in a twinkling it
descended upon the neck of the reptile,
making it prisoner. 1t took all the
strength of that brawny man at first to
keep the snake fast upon the rock. Rattle
snakes do not curl as other snakes do.
When pinned down they simply lash the
ground or the rock with their bodies.
"Stand back" said Jake, "let him lam
that stone until he gets tired.''
The horny chain on the snakes tail rat
tied, but the prong was too small for him
to slip his head or body through. 1t
pinched just enough to madden him. In
three minutes he seemed tagged out, when
Jake was enabled to dose him and lay
him out. The body was beautiful in gold,
dark brown and black. The belly had
grayish white, with black stripes. On the
back there were black spots. Jake took
out the poison sack, which looked very
much like water blister on human flesh.
"'That stuff in the veins of twenty men
would kill every one of EN-" said Jake.
"Some people would say this fellow was
eleven years old, according to his rattles.
don't believe it. believe these snakes
get 'em more than once a year when they
are young. When they are old it may be
different. This skin amt worth much, but
We'll take it along anyway"
Suddenly there was heard shrill whis-
tie of one of the men about 200 yards
over the rocks. The dog pitched head
foremost in his effort to get away in \
hurry. Jake caught his breath, and said !:
"Come on, but be careful" A thrilling
sight was Endy, in bath of Precipitation,
holding down a snake that seemed as
large again as the one we had just cap
tured. The dog was called away.
II want this fellow alive" said Endy
land, Jake, take hold of this until run
up to the big hickory and get that box
In short time Endy returned with q
soap-box, lined with leather. The lid
v,,Io o&o ~
He set the box down, and then took hold
of the prong. The snake was then made
to swallow wadding ball, and when it
was under its influence it was easily thrown
into the box, and the lid fastened with
staples. The snake measured nine feet in
length.
Another start was made, and in about
an hour and half five fair-sized snakes
were killed. All of the party were on
time at the appointed place of meeting.
Nineteen snakes had been captured. Jake
was asked what he had in that vial.
"That's the best thing in the world to
put any man or beast to sleep you ever
heard 81. We get it by stewing up Indian
turnip, hazel nut, dock and one or two
other things that the women folks gather
ON the hills. Old Granny Lippard first
gave it to the people in these parts, There
was fine horse got his leg broke for Gen.
Bridge, and they had an idea they could
set it if the horse could be put to sleep
and out of pain. Old Granny stewed 'em
up some, and they give it TO the horse,
and it put him to sleep. We tried the
stuff on dogs, goats, sheep, and on fish,
and toward the last we got it on the snakes,
and it works like charm. / wouldn't
like to give it to human being for fear il
might put him so sound to sleep that he'd
never get over It. l.a f1N4
The men cut off the heads of the rep
tiles, extracted the poison sacks, and put
them in one box. In reply to q question
as to what the poison was good for, one
said; I'm the first place 1t is not dan
gerous if you keep it away from your
blood. The women folks use it very spar.
ingly, though. Sometimes they mix 1t
with camphor to smell Of for headache.
A little, boiled with dock leaves and wild
laurel, is good wash for rheumatism.
Stiff joints are limbered up pretty well
when a sac is thrown into warm water