Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-03-27
In a Den of RattIesnakes.

\ young lady, at school in the noun
famous section of Pennsylvania, gives
the annexed account of thrilling event
at that place recently: .'Two young
ladies besides myself, who had gone out
i'm a walking party with one of the
teachers at the school in this place,
strolled off from the rest of the party,
and, losing our way, were unable to
tell for some time where We were, As
the woods and underwood were so thick
that the further We penetrated into it,
the more difficult our passage became.
We wandered to and fro for a long
time, until almost overcome with IA
tigue, when We sat down on huge
boulder to recover our lost strength, and
looking at our watches we found that
we had been on the mountain nearly
six hours, and felt hungry, distressed
and tired. 1t was about five O'Clock in
the afternoon, and twilight was fast APP
preaching. ''Oh, but for something TO
eat, my companion said, ''and then we
could struggle on and try TO find the
school again" She appeared to be the
picture of despair. We were sitting
some feet above the ground alongside
of huge oak tree, and presently felt
something moving on my neck. |
placed my hand on my neck to remove.
it, when, horrible to relate, 1 grasped
something round and soft, which Kissed
like an adder. | tried to pull it from
my neck, but it wriggled and squirmed,
and my companion seeing the monster
Oh my body, shrieked and screamed and
almost tainted. Just at tnat moment
the head made dart at my breast, with
mouth wide open and tongue elongated,
and Kissing death-like and horrible
sound. My left hand was about six
inches from its head. and, in order to
prevent being bitten, grasped ii right
behind the eyes with my right hand
Holding it in this way for several sec
Onds, my companion shrieked TO me to
throw the snake down. l tried to do so
but was powerless, being, as it seemed
to me, transfixeG or charmed to the
spot by the horrid eyes of the monster
1 tried to talk, but my jaws would not
open, and my tongue appeared stiff. l
felt the cold perspiration trinkling
down my back, and large drops of
sweat stood on my forehead. My face
was as white as the driven snow, and
could neither move nor talk, but seemed
to be as stiff as a post, 1t makes me
shudder when think of the stare of the
reptile. .-..-
Annie, my companion, seeing my
dangerous situation, screamed for help.
She seemed to have been bereft of rea-
son, for instead of coming to my assis-
tance, she started TO run away. Trying
to turn my head TO see whittier she had
gone, the eyes of the snake were also
directed in the direction in which Annie
was shrieking. From that moment the
snakes spell on me was broken, and
with all my might | hurled it from me.
No sooner had the snake landed on the
ground than ran with the fieetness of
deer, fearing that it would overtake
me. Judge of my feelings, when,
almost out of breath and ready to sink
down to the earth from sheer exhaus-
ton, / turned around and found a
snake with three others several PAGES
from me. in hot pursuit. l remembered
that snakes were afraid of anything
red. Fortunately having on a red
skirt, l Immediately exposed it to the
reptiles view, and they at once aban-
doned the pursuit. l advanced toward
them, shaking my red skirt, and they
retreated. | gathered up stones and
threw at them and killed the largest
one, and the others escaped among the
rocks.
Just at that moment a deputation
from the school, who had been in search
for us, came up. The large snake that
had coiled itself aronnd nv neck was
found by the escort, and il measured
nine feet and four inches