, 1879-07-04
HUNDREDS OF SNAKES.


Wneafafr ta', tfHfr . ~ amnaaf'oa'a s..', 1'tata
snake etor'es OF WONDERFUL proportions ae
too. Which makes them all tic moro Interesting.
ri," t,,1s ~ mia. ,ro,,r1 orc i,,st fnl, ~ rcs
uo N1n r. ~. 49,, ua ~, ,,.ts ,a .as.,
.rateh o M ppo 1ps cs ~ @ % o Vu ho ,U ~e.s
the big North Mountain, a spur Of tho jagged
Altcrhcnics. towers above It's nctchbofs Rat
tlcsnakes. moccas!ns. md copperhcads abound,
They crawl out from under every rock. 'rhc,
lie in the pathway,-whero there chappons 10 boa
pathway, They live s!,ely in. pairs, Ia droycs,
md. IN tact, in every way Tint suake
ought to live. They arc a venomous
set, always 'rcndy for business It
Is true that they very seldom como down from
the mountain, but Ii any one Is at nil tlesErous
" ssastE upon 1.'aNs "u"s ~ .a' .a
eary is to step OIL from ono ol the numerous
pixies that centre here and climb up. among the
bills Te hunt VII G singuiatlY o1'cslaca Ct Ina
tho snakes will hunt for him anu take matters
Into their own hands. They nre pretty likely to
havo II oil their own way, too, atd there Isn't
drst % 1t'is' It Is over toward Lcesbure wheSe tha
snakes ara tlle tlrckcst. There Is where the
big fellows grow. Occasionally Q lady will
wake up md find n rattlcsnakc hidden aWay
under her bed, hut then people get used 10
that sort Of thing after awhile and such stories
cease to bc interesting It y tlso stories told ~
tho distIiess up tho mountains that pcoplo talk
atgnt: 49,, ~. =, ,,,,.,x ,,,,,,.r. ,rou,o t,,o
mountains. "Moonslinefs,n, the men who distil
in a small wny hnd Grade taxntion, arc ycry
searce in this dlstrtct. The Deputy, COLLECTOR
keeps sar9 lockout Is thoTs' 'than famqe ,n
and 1t ta!ses q moonshtncr OF the shaIpGet stamp
to eludc bis careful search: Tho distlllere toll
somo marYclous tales. ana are ready 70 hnck
them up With afl1davts Mt any time. "Talkin'
about suakcs," sall one Of them, who inhahIts
The Blue Ridge, near Lccsburn. tho other day:
"talkin' about snakes, why, look yerc," and hc
opened his cabin door and pointed to the walls.
They wcro fairly covered with the skins VI
monsters ut the roptt1a kind. There ware
stuffed rattlesnakes looking down 1t you from
over the door. RsttleBnakes hung BY their tails.
from tho corners, and ono big fellow eotlcd up ,
Of them and tho peculiar sound Of the dry rat
Ties would send d chill all over person.
"Arcn't you afratd Of the.nl"
laughed Ic eontemptuousiy. nj IL io'ght with Gen.
Eorly iii tic Valley, faced tho Yankee cannon,
and and iidn't nm. % yo' s'pose ID get scared at
snake1 We don't kcaro for 'em. | kill a..
llnnd in. uowi Why knock 'cm over with
times 1 tlsh for 'ern. That's fun, but yo' have
to work harder 10 do It. Perhaps yol would
like to SEQ It donofn at,f1. receiving nod IN tho
affirmative the diattl1cr led tho way In front Of
his cabIn.
Standing m aUuinBt the door WIS long pola
with noose At th end. The distilier took il
down. shook IL tor moment in his hands, and
looked around, 1--WE kcnught lots Of snakes
with this thinE,n he sald. III You look around
ricLt aharn ynla,ll iind one aomerhcto,D
Abomt forty feet oWaT the sharp oyes Of tho
distiller CAUGHT s!ght Of q shining skin. Tho
snako was Gle one aud wa sunnine Himself bY
tho sido Of loc. Motionirig silence, tho l!stji.
lar cront IN to Within nolc's Iennth and dunejed
tle neoso, under tl!e snake,a nose. IIts mako.
thep pcord hcrnn ttr}t,n1, NJ it. PrsttY anon III
head won't through ill., moose. The fisherman
had n hi,o and he pu]ird, In moment tbe
huec u9 enekn wa. danrlInr in the air md n blow
r1u ar 9wo araii5st r troe fnsshcd h]m
Tho titstiljer smjicd as lle replnccd tho polo
nrninst thn t,n,,in. MThar's no use IN rettin'
scare5 = ~ ho saji. III don,t mind nm.
koaueht liz fellow lust summer Ia Just that
way. a medical student from PennsYlynpY
him }cn,ght onr. stnfYed lin and keottcd
liz, ill., ~ n "haesr.b bor' md ho wns fhc mn.t
~, hnavt;t,i ~ ~ .n,L" ~ nycr ~ INV Thov dnn,t
ut"Httu. s n'nhu ~ o., 49, e"' 1,.-' ~. moA ~