The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-11
Rather IanlS.


A capital snake story is told by Rather
Hank, Of Arizona. Hank has been bitten
four times, and attributes his continued cx-
isicncc TO the fact that he always takes
plenty Of whiskcy with hin,. lie has kill
cd 400 rattlcsnakcs in the last two years,
to say nothing Of the hundreds he had got
away with before that true, and of which
he never kept Il record. 1t is the old mans
delight to bask in the smiles of his cr0nics,
and you may sec him at any time, when he
| ls not out prospecting the neiyhboring hills
for gold or silver, sitting in Bill Briggs
cabin, comfortably loaded with taDglcfoot
and detailing his adventures. lIc was in
Florence in August on big spree. When
he gets pretty badly fudGlcd he tells his
biggest yarns. II was my good fortune TO
hear one Of them. Bows" he asked, "diu
you see that Greascr in town yesterday with
| the tarantulas Z" give 'cm to
! him kctched 'cm out near the AL
varado mine; they was havin' party like
with hull bilin' o rnttlers. never seed
no such ratllcrs yet. QIank was leading
| up to his story. One who knew him we'll
at once ordered the bcnZinc for the crowd.
| amt seed no such rattlcrs rs them," he
continued, setting down his empty glass.
There was forty hundred if there was one,
and rangin' all the way from two to ten
foot In length. And such an ali fired hssin'
and u wrigglin' and bowin' and scrap
in to oncnother as polite Us you please,
and Mr.. Snake. crawln' around Mrs.
Snake, and the young snakes a tumblin'
over their daddics and mammcs till you
couldn't rest. What did I do2 | reckon
kinder didn't do nothin' but keep shady.
But blasted jack rabbit run across the
bush just behind me, an !, bcin' kind o
hungry like, let him have it. The noise o
the gun goin' off atartcd the snakes, and
they saw me quicker II second, an Jess
stood on their hind legs and roarcd to get
Mt the old man. There war pile O rocks
hcmmin mo in on all sides 'cept one. |
had jest come over them rocks slidin'
down, but couldn't get back There was
only one way out, and that was right
through the snakes And there was forty
hundred of 'em as sure us. They saw
they had me, and had already divided me
with my eyes stckin' out and the swcnt q
pourin' Off me like rain, an they KEEP
comm an a opcnin' their jaws an lickin'
o their chops as much as to soy. ole man
yer our mcnt.' Well, yankcd rock an
driv it into 'en, an before they got over
their surprise I'd drunk all the bug Juice
in my cantecn an made>a break More'n
five hundred Of 'cm must struck me rs l
skinned through the gantet. But had
par o. buclSsllin brccchcs over my butter
nuts, anthe-fools couldn't bite through.
So hoofcd it over the perraric for more'n
half mile, COS didn't d'ar TO stop sec
end or they would got loose an struck me
on the hand. AS it was, they KEEP
string in out behind me like so many tails.
But y.u couldn't sec 'cm for the dust. You
hear me- -
Hanks listeners were setting in Open
mouthcd wonder taking in the story as he
spun it out, and they were eagerly awaiting
the climax. SagebrHsh Charlie spoke up:
''Look yere, Hank, you say there was five
hundred snakes hitchcd on to your britchcs?"
eyes, five hundred; nary one less"
"Wtll, how much you rccl1oned each
crllter would averagc-about three pounds,
| rcckon2n
"W-a-l-ll"
"Why, on'y this you war packin' fifteen
hundred pounds O snakes. Perhaps you
will take tumble to yourself and kinder
explain how you could pack so many
critters"
"Look here, Charlie; you're pretty
isGuar kind of boy, and pooty good on fig
and arithmctickin, an that kind O.
- s4s, an don't mind sayin' to you that
.ilScen hundred pounds O. snakes tackled
onto man when he is scar't-when he is
right down scar't- weigh more'n a
ordinary shotgun. You might stop to
weigh 'em. didn't have no time"
Charlie was effcctually silcnced.
"Wall, as was saying, boys" Hank
continued, 'thc varmints keep a swishin'
in the air an a goin forty miles minute
l seed there was only one way to get rid of
'cm an I yanked out my knife an COM
mcnccd chopin their tails off close up to
their cars. BY tho time rived at NIosss
ranch they had al been cut away, but their
heads was still stickin' by tho fangs to my
b1ckskins. Boys, it war lively canter
while 1t lasted"
''I1ow many heads was there sticlsin'
onto your buclsskins, uank2" Charlie asked
elem me see; lem me see," Hank an
swcrcd. 81 dccar I forgit. Rcub, I told
you tho other day how many snakes heads
there was hangin' to my buckskins that
day DO you reklectl"
81 reckon it was four hundred and ninoty-
sevcn."
'Four--hundred-a nd-ninety-seven.
Yes, yes: said five hundred, didn't I,
boys2 | take it back, it was four hundred
and nincty-seven; but what in the name of
common sense thrco snakes in such outfit 2"
Then the glasses were filled up again.