The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-08-31
AJERsEY SNAKE HUNT.
Practical Use or an Imitation Mousse
AT Close Quarters.

Use or an Imitation Mouse
AT Close Quarters.
After the road came to an end alto
gether and left the wagon jolting over
an unbroken field, the old horse put on
q remarkable burst Of speed and turned
into narrow lane leading to small
"Look here" said, "didn't I pay
you to carry me to Jerry Martinez"
'sartin you did, sir"
"Then why don't you do it? Why do
you stop here at your own homer"
"Done the best dould, sir. This is
Jerry Martins place, sir"
''And your"
"I'm Jerry Martin, sir; at your service
sir"
A quarter so neatly earned surely was
well deserved, and. checking an impulse
to say something sarcastic, laughed
and told Jerry my errand.
''Snake huntin', is itp" he exclaimed,
in something like establishment. "Want
to 20 snake huntin'? Well, neverl
Fine gents from the city never hunts
snakes, as I knows, on. Coin to start
a circus? Museum business, maybe No?
Well, never. Jest want to hunt
snakes! Maria" he shouted, in voice
that might have been mistaken for
steam whistle.
A nervous looking little woman
stepped out from behind chicken
COOP.
I'VE needn't yell so, Jerry Martin; I
"Rere's gentleman from the city as
wants to go snake huntin'," Jerry
moved back to note the effect of his
wol DIS. Not muscle moved in the
careworn face under the sun-bonnet.
well" she said, o moment afterward,
"why don't you lake him?"
"l'll do it--for half dollar
In few minutes Jerry and were
again iolting over the unbroken field
in the direction of forest of scrub pines.
s'Snakes is scarce around these parts
this year. Fire over to Hammonton
way drove 'em off last summer. The
big 'uns took to the pine swamp bout
quartz r of mile below the c!earin' in
the piney woods over to the right of us,
and the little ones was burned up. It's
harder for me to git snakes now, but
when finds one he's sure to be aw'.op-
per an big enough to send to circus.
The little ones send to saloons an res
taurants for show windows. Billy Howe.
in Camden, he used to sell 'em for me-
but he's gone out Of the business, and
have to ketch 'em and sell 'em myself
was up to the Zoo-oligical Garden in
the city last week to see about selling
big piney snake, but Mr.. Brown, the su-
perintendent, was away, an the duffer
ut the gate wouldn't let me in. amt
%hoh e., Il, >
il he amt pulled up stakes an gone on
Can't stand the hot sun, dye see, and
only comes out for any length of time on
cloudy days. Not much chance for 'em
to-day
At the edge of The woods the horse
was unroped from the wagon and turned
loose. A covered basket, pronged
stick, a bottle of chloroform and small
sponge were taken from box in the
wagon. In the basket was an imitation
mouse, fastened to the end of stout
stick, and wound around to:the end of
the stick was small ball of tHine. An
old cloth apron completed what Jerry
called the "outtit."
Down to the edge of the big swamp,
where the weeds and the bushes grew
thick and high, Jerry walked softly and
after five minutes Of slow creeping, sat
down upon log.
Keep quiet, now" he cautioned,
there's lots of snake-holes around here.
Here's where 1 saw the big 'un three
weeks ago. Now, you hold the end of
the string while fasten the mouse in
the clear spot over there"
The stick upon which the imitation
mouse. was fastened was forced into the
ground SO that the mouse rested in an
upright position about an inch abo We
the sand. The string reached from the
mouse to the log. We lay down, side
by side, behind the log, with our heads
appraised so that we could command q
view ofa semicircle thirty or forty 4eet
in diameter.
We waited five minutes in utter silence
Then. Jerry's arm moved backward
quickly and the string fluttered an in.
slant in the sand.
Squeak! The imitation mouse cried
out as if caught in trap. A bird stop
ped chirping overhead. SQueak-soueak!
The bird flew away. At irregular inter-
yals for ten minutes the mouse shrieked
in anguish, but only the fitting shadow
of the swaying string disturbed the dull
gray surface of the sand. Through an
opening in the trees the sun blazed down
in sullen fury. Out in clear field the
heat throbbed upward like waves from
q furnace, The narrow horizon beyond
the trees waved like a banner, and the
branches of the bushes hung motionless
in the sitting air.
observation-disclosures! The mouse
was becoming furious. Over at the base
of stump something moved. A streak
of vellowgray sand seemed to start in
to life. Jerry nudged me softly.
"A snake" 1t was but whisper,
but the snake heard it and stopped,
with head appraised and tongue darting
back and forth like the flame of "a spirit
lamp. "he mouse became frantic at its
danger. Jerry seized the crotched
stick, the cholroform, and the sponge
and was making ready for spring,
when l saw by sudden pallor in his
face that something had happened. I
leaned toward him and he put his lips
close to my ear.
There's snake crawling over nv
legs, he whispered. ':Don't move
Jerry bowed his head upon the log
and became as marble. In moment
something touched my legs twice. A
chill ran through me; my veins ceased
fl!ro.bbing and my lungs refused to do
their work. The snake was feeling his
way across me. A second heightened
into a minute, the minute to an hour,
seemingly, and still the snake dragged
his heavy length across my: legs. In
that second of horror and disgust the
reptile was as long as ships cable and
as heavy as tree. When felt myself
free of the weight I turned my head.
Jerry had risen, and with stick in hand
was stepping over me. lie mace q
lunge at something, and when jumped
to my feet l found him holding the stick
upon the snakes neck.
wet the sponge with cholorform,
quick: and hold it down uton his nose."
while was doing this the snake