The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-03-30
THE CLABBER CLUB.
Second Regular Meeting of the Soci-
ETY., and Resume of the Discus
sion on the Habits ofthe Snake.
PART II. CANTO

PART II. CANTO I.
SIS the gentleman from Tennessee, the
president of this club, in the half? in
CURED Major Orchilla Royal rising in his
place.
The president was not.
"Then | move that the vice-president,
| the gentleman from Georgia, governor
Towns, assume the chair" said the Ma
jor.
A murmured assent went up from the
| club and the governor got up and throw
ing his innate modesty over the battle
ments, gathered up his skirts and fetch
ed the body to order by vicious whack
with the end of his jack-knife.
Il move, Mr.. Chairman" said Captain
Spike Harrison, of Alabama, rising with
| suppressed dignity, ''that we immediate
| ly proceed to business-to-wit : the fur
Their discussion of the subject that was
! occupying the attention of the club at its
last regular meeting, that subject being
the serpent, his innermost and his outer
This brief address was received with
applause and one member, evidently
Commissary General Graham, who is a
bloody Britisher, called out in the pecu-
liar vernacular of his bailiwick, Hear,
| heart"
1.-THE gentleman from Tennessee has
| the floor" suggested amember in reson-
ant whisper.
The gentleman from Tennessee" Or
dered the chair
Mr.. -Jeemes Vertrees arose and said;
"Gentlemen-This club being all stu
dents of holy writ will comprehend me
when state that from the top of Mount
Horeb, the snake figures all the way,
more or less, through the sacred writings
of the Israelites and Judeans. From
Genesis to Revelations he wriggles and
winds, in and out, through the whole
plan of salvation. 1t is a picturesque
history, gentlemen, but it does not agree
with the facts. From reading it in our
youth, and hearing it all the days of our
lives, we derive much of our fear and
horror of many innocent reptiles. A
snake, gentlemen, is not the most subtle
of beasts or the most cunning either.
A Florida coon, like the coon chained
to the dOnjon of fine presiding officers
hotel can give the snake fifteen points
and discount him. Or I might mention
/ a still moro crIDpinOr animal tho Indian
River coyote. | remember well to have
watched coyote compass a RATHER in the
oak scrub down near Fort Capron in this
southern section. The coyote was busy
tracking a cotton-tail, and he was eager
and excited in the chase, when suddenly
from no cause [ could see or hear at the
distance I was from him, he jumped
about three feet up into the air, and
when he came down he had given up the
rabbit and was stepping about very wari-
ly in a clear gravelly place in the oak
scrub. Changing my position little"
''Mr. President y
The gentleman from Virginia had risen
to point of order.
'Mr. PRESIDENT
major Royal"
Il rise to a point of order"
LET us hear it" remarked the chair
tapping the desk gently with his fat
knuckIes.
Il object to the interruption, :" remark
ed the speaker calming himself and look
ing very red at the Major
Proceed then, sir, proceed. Major
Royal the gentleman objects to any
loose remarks"
The Major Indignantly sat down.
'As l was going on to state, resumed
the speaker, ''when [ was broken in upon
by the F. F. V. of this club-changing
my position little, l could see a large
rattlesnake coiled, with his head erect,
near the middle of the clear space. The
coyote walked around and around him,
stripping his white teeth at him, jumped
high over him, pretended several times
to leave him and go away, but was care
full each time to halt behind a bush and
watch the snake. Evidently the canine
wanted the reptile to straighten out and
start off on its travels. But the snake
seemed to feel his danger, and kept care
fully in coil. At length the coyote SEEM
ed to conclude that the rabbit he was
hunting when the snake interrupted him
was now far away, and he must needs
have snake-steak for supper, so he sat
down on his launches opposite the snake,
just beyond reach of what he carefully
calculated was the snakes full length;
and there he remained for some time
teasing and haunting the reptile by vari-
Gus feints of attack and other manOeu-
vres. He would strike inside the limits
first with one paw, then with the other;
then he would stretch out his head, strip
~ brilliant white teeth, turn up his nose
and sniff contemptuously at the snake,
which, with arched neck and carefully
| DCiCad head followed with itS cold round