Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-03-04
THE SNAKE.BIr IRISHMAN.

We have had more than one hearty
laugh at the following story, and if any
of our readers have seen it before, they
will not Object to our reproducing Il in
our coums for the amusement of our
less fortunate subscribers.
The scene described took place, some
years ago, i'll Morgan County, Tennes-
see, where jolly little party of deer
hunters had camped out in the noun
tains. After describing the members
of the party, and the first days hunt,
which was very successful, the story
goes on as follows:
As every day hath its night and eve
ry rose its thorn, SO this :nirthtul party
had its ''pest," in the shape of huge
raw bvned loquacious Irishman, who,
uninvited, had quartered himself in the
camp, boarding and lodging at the ex
pense of the crowd and contriving in
countless ways to render himself 4 nui
sance when awake; aud when asleep ac-
complishing the same praise worthy end
without any contrivance at all-it being
a natural gift, and used by the po5sessor
with most toruenting effect. 1h' MN
snorsd,-and h",D be snored, will pres
emily appear suffice to say, more un-
mitigated nuisance was never abated in
more summary nanner.
They soon learned by his conyersa-
ton and behaviour that he was afraid
of snakes generally, and "ould s"nk's
in particular indeed, / think that the
sequel warrants the bold assertion that
he would have given long odds III favor
of a Stock Creek gouging, rather than
face all Is inch moccasin with "bells on
his tail, as he termed rattles. The man
had heard some awful snake warns or
Mics since his "laving the sod :; this
was evident from the morbid dread, yes,
horror, he felt OF the crawling tribe.
Well, with the Queen Of Sheba, he
might truly say that ";he half had not
been told him." after nights expe-
rience at u hunters camp in IenneS-
see.
On the second night of his intrusion
he made himself more than usually wei
come, by getting, sir, somewhat, sir,
shot!" as Tom Murray said when an
ounce of lead took up its lodgings in
the slack" OF his brepches, thinking Gf
lead CAM 10 doubt, that it had more
rom there than i'll the powder bed Of
an old brass boring iron. He told long
dry yarns, all having more or less re-
mote bearing on his own prowess or
skill, and more than once insinuated
desire to make demonstration, by hay-
ing the use OF the skull of 'ony jintle-
min present, and two fut thorn, fur
jist minitw Well. all this was very
pleasant, and | have no doubt perfectly
satisfactory, 50 far as he Individually
was concerned, but with his hearers it
was quite a different thing; yet still
they endured it but the cup Of patience
was nearly full, and that night it over
flowed, bearing off on its boiling cur
rent, the "cause" of the ''rise," to re-
gions far away and unknown. After
lie had wearied himself with his 'blath-
er," aud showed sy ymptoms OF turning
in, Jim A-told HIM a ,w yarns
bearing on the much dreaded snake sub
jec,, aud particularly on their size, vari-
ely, aud amiable temper in those parts,
dwelling at leagth upon their nppa'sm
social disposition, assumed only with
fell intent to those whose nearer &C
quaintance they sought. This evident
" did not sit well on the excited stom-
ach Of this pugnaclous sprlg-of-shlllalah,
as was manifested by the furtive and un-
easy glances he ever and anon cast at
his blanket and ''location.' But bed
time come, and after reconnoitering his
sleeping ground he proceeded to count
his beads aud the chances of being
''snake- bit" before day, then tucking in
his blanket and wishing "the sowls ov
all snakes in these perts in perthicular,"
in country where,to say the very least,
they would have but slim chance for
indalging in their natural torpidity, he
fell asleep.
And now the storm began. HIS snor-
ing grew fast and furious, loud and long;
occasionally a sort of half snort, half
grunt, terminated with snakes, by jab-
ers, blast their sowls ! Ugh! ugh
when there came the variation or cho.
rus in the shape OF grind of his teeth
that threatened 10 drive them through
his Jaw or crush them to powder; bv
way OF variety he would hold his breath
few seconds and then snore again, and
such snoring! my stars, that | could
spell it! Ii was sort of cross between
the breathing Of an asthmatic elephant
and the braying of a superannuated
donkey, whose will lasted longer than
his wind Well, it thus continued with
the regularity of the whip-poor-wills
cry, until, say half an hour before day
break, when J. NJ w, (Jim w. well
say,) whose stock of patience had long
ago evaporated, unroled himself from
his blanket, saying in his usual quiet
way, "Humph! III aop that Internal
concert or sfa,, the maker of it, see if |
don't! Umph!" he then awoks jim A,
and the Judge, when plot was laid
aud thus carried into execution.
w. got his hunting-knife and going
to where the offal of a large deer had
been thrown he cut off about seven feet
OF gu, and securing the ends with twice
to retain the contents, he tied one end
of it fast and tight TO a corner OF