The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-02-21
In a Den Of Rattlesnakes.
Reading Eagle.l

Reading Eagle.
Ayoung lady in this city has received
the following letter from her friend who
is at boarding-school, giving a thrilling
account of her adventure with a huge
DEAR MARGIE: Three weeks ago
yesterday afternoon two young ladies
besides myself, who had gore out in a
walking party with n Of the teachers
at the school in this place, stroiled of
from the rest of the party, and, losing
our way, were unable for some time to
tell where we were, as the woods and
underwood were 80 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
with fatigue, when we sat
down on a huge bowlder to recover our
lost strength. Looking at our watches,
We found that we had been on the mo I'M
tain nearly six hours, and felt hungry,
distressed and Tired. 1t was about Eve
o'cl ok in the afternoon, and twilight
was fast approaching. "Oh, but for
something 10 eat" my companion said,
aud 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 a huge oak tree,
and presently 1 felt something moving
on my neck. placed my hand to my
neck to remove il, when, horrible to re-
late, ! telt something round and
SOFT, which Missed like an adder. ]
tried to pull it from my neck, but
it wriggled and squirped, and my
Companion seeing the monster on my
body, shrieked and screamed and almost
tainted. Just at that moment the head
made a dart at my breast, with mouth
wide op7n and tongue elongated, aud
kissing a death-like and horrible sound,
My left hand was abuut six inches from
its head, and, in order to prevent being
bitten, I grasped it right behind the eyes
withmy right hand. Holding it in this
way for several seconds, my companion
shiieked to me to throw the snake from
me. l TT ed todo so, but was powerlss IS
being, as it s emed to me, traus6xed OF
caarmed to the spot by the horrid eyes
OF the monster. l tried to talk, but my
jaws would not open, and my tongue
appeared stiff. 1 felt the cold sweai
trickIing down my back, and largedropl
of perspiration stood on my forehead
My face was al white as the driven snow
and could neither move nor talk, bu'
seemed to be as stiff as a POST. 1t make,
me shudder, as | write, to think Of tn,
stare of the reptile.
Anne, my companion, seeing m,
dangerous situation, screamed for help
She seemed to have been bereft of reason
for instead OF coming to my assis: anc,
she started to Jun away. Trying t
turn my head 10 see whittier she ha,
gone, the eyes of the snake were ais
objected in the direction in which Ami
wa shrieking. From tbat moment tn
-nake's spell on me was broken, and wit
all my might l hurled it from me. N,
sooner had the snake landed on tn
ground than l ran with the feetness Q
the deer, fearing that it would oyertak
me. Judge ofmy feelings when, almos
out of breath and ready to sink down t
the earth from sheer exhaustion, Iturne,
around, and found a snake with tire
others several PAGES from me, in ho
pursuit. ] remembered that snakes wer
afraid of any thing red. Fortunatel
having on a red skirt, I i~mmediatel
exposed it to the reptiles view and the
at once stopped the pursuit. 1 advancs
toward them, shaking my red skirt, an
they retreated. I gathered up stone
and threw at them aud killed the larges
one, and the offers escaped through th
rocks. Just at this moment a deputatio
from the school who had been 10 scare
o. us came up. The large snake that ha
coiled itself around my neck was foun
by tue e,cort, and it measures nine fet
and four inches.