Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-21

ans, and as our cook had gone with the
/ the men, got up for myself hasty sup
! per, circled my blankets with a horse
/ hair lariat and turned In for the night.
/ But was restless and could not sleep.
/ The night was warm, and laid TOR hours
watching the clouds as they sailed across
| the round, full moon. Failing into a
short slumber I was suddenly aroused by
horrible sensation; 1t was unmistaka-
/ bic. Slowly crawling against my body
under the blanket was huge rattle
snake, which in my distorted fright
seemed as large as my thigh and as long
as my body. To move was death. OH
the horror Of those moments, which
seemed drawing out to frightening ages.
imagined that the tOrtures Of the In
QUESTION would have been delicious
pleasure compared to the clammy touch
of that horrible reptile, as 1t slowly
crawled to nv face and nestled on my
breast. The cold sweat stood like beads
upon my brow, and 1 at last felt that
death would almost be sWeeter than such
= night Of life, when 1 suddenly became
aware Of the slow and cautious approach
of a human being. thought it was an
Indian, but I dare not move. He seem
ed listening, and at last appeared salts
fed from my stiffness that L was very
sound asleep; then with the stealthy
tread of the panther he approached, and
1 could see in the moonlight that it was
our cook. He stood over me with long
knife in his hand, and in a moment l
knew that it was the money he was
after. Which of the evils was I to
choose? 1t was death to move IN either
case, and as stiffness was easier to choose
than action, I remained still. The
warmth of my body had apparently
charmed the snake to slumber, and it
lay upon my breast as still as though it
had been hfeless.
eff he moves III kill him." were the
low, muttered words Of the cook, as he
knelt down by me, and 1 was satisfied
that his intention was to secure the mon
ey-belt and escape with it without kill
ing me if possible. What would be the
result? l dared not think I knew
there would be an awful moment when
the snake was aroused. Which would
be the victim? The awful moment came.
Never, never to my dying day can for
get it.
Slowly the cook drew down the blanket.
There was a fierce, defiant rattle, and,
with deadly aim, the snake sprang at his
face, when by some wonderful chance
the cook caught it near the head, but in
doing so he dropped his knife, and then,
having no weapon, he desperately
grasped the huge and horrible rattle
snake with both hands and tried to
throw it from him, but it coiled around
his hands and arms, and with its i'm
mense strength jerked loose its head
and with the rapidity Of lightning plant
ed its deadly fangs in the cheek Of the
doomed man, as with a shrek Of despair
he lOOsened his hold and the snake Gid
ed away.
had sprung to my feet when the cook
grasped the snake and stood a spectator
Of the rapid scene, in which I could not
have been quick enough to have saved
the doomed man, had even been so in
clined. He lay before me dying an aw-
full death, and the morning sun shOne
upon his body, bloated, blackened, cor
rupting mass, and I shudder to think
how in his death I was saved by arattle-
snake.