The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-06-28

darted its forked tongue, and jumped
fully eight feet toward the judge. His
honor then got angry, and threw clods of
earth and grass. At this the serpent flew
into an ungovernable rage. It's eyes fair
ly flashed fire.
Apparently aware that there was no
dangerous weapon within reach, it ran
straight for the Judge, as though it meant
to close with him. 1t finally became 80
active that Connor was glad to leave it.
As he walked away it resumed its posi-
ton, and the squirrel began his dance
death, charmed by its buzzing music
The judg ge says the snake was certainly
nine feet long. The mystery is, how
came the squirrel and its charmer on .
salt water prairie mile from any tree.
More singular still, these large rattlers
have been seen swimming in salt water.
DIR. Wallace, of Daytona, informs me that
he has seen them apparently crossing
from the beach to the main land at Castle
Windy. Three years ago, Captain Neil,
of New Bedford, one Of Swift's live-oak
superintendents, met monster near
Mosquito inlet. going out with the tide.
The snake espied Neil's boat, and made
desperate effort to board her. The cap
tain beat it off with the oars: but the fight
lasted two or three minutes. The serpent
at last disabled, drifted away with the
current, and was finally swallowed by
shark.
The larger rattlers are said to follow
herds of cattle. Cow boys say that they
smell the milk dropping from the udders
Of the COWS and take up the trail, with
view to milking them. This is done
while the COWS are lying on the ground
chewing their cuds. When the serpent
takes the teat in its mouth, the COW stops
chewing, and becomes as still as death.
Thus she remains until the scaly thief is
satisfied. She seems to know that the
least motion would be fatal. One snake
has been known to milk two COWS sue
cessively.
In the fall, when palmetto berries arc
ripe, the rattler crawls to the top of the
full-booted tree, and hides beneath its
dark green fans. The berries attract the
cardinal grosbeaks, bullfnches, mocking
birds and parroquets, and they fall under
the internal magnetism Of the snake.
The rattlesnake when trodden on does
not invariably bite person. Bethune,
an old Indian river mail carrier, while
deer hunting last summer stepped square
on arattler. He felt it yield and move
under his feet, and then heard its ominous
humming. He jumped nearly ten feet,
and turned as white as a sheet, but he
says that the snake made NO effort to bite
him.
A more remarkable story is that told
concerning the wife of Judge Connor.
She is deaf, and this intensifies natural
dread of rattlesnakcs as she cannot hear
their notes of warning. Some time ago
her husband and neighbor were doctor
ing sick colt.
She was standing in the path, holding
some camphor and bottle Of liniment.
She felt something cold and scaly coiling
around her leg. Drawing aside h&
dress and looking down, she saw rattle
shake gazing steadily in her face, slip
ping out its red tongue, and waving its
head to and fro as high as her hand.
The blood rolled away from her heart
She screamed, and jumped aside so spas
medically that the snake lost its hold
and was left on the ground. 1t is posi-
ble that the serpent was trying to fasci-
nate her; but her deafness barred out it's
low musical sound. AS the judge and
his neighbor ran up the path, she stood
trembling with terror, on the point of a
faint.
"She's bit" said the neighbor in low
tone.
He didn't bite me-" she retorted.
without, however, hearing what he had
said.
"She'* Bit" the neighbor repeated.
"but she was so skecrt she didn't feel
it,
"Are you sure he didn't bite you,
Mary!' asked the Judge.
"No, he didn't bite me-" she replied,
II know he didn't
And she was right. She pleaded for
the life Of the snake because it had spared
her; but the judge, to use his own cx-
preston, "mopped the life out of it,"