Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-21
Saved by a RattleSnake.
BY W. a. PETERS.

In the year 1872 I was surveyor in
chief of an expedition sent out by
the Government to run the boundaries
of the public lands in Southern Kan
sas, near the line of the Indian Terri
tory.
1t was a wild, desolate country, with
its long stretches of prairie swept by
fierce winds and scOrched with burning
suns at each returning Summer; with
nothing to break the dull monotony of
our tramp, tramp through the long, dry
grass but an occasional shot at small
game, or the more exciting but less pleas
ant variation of springing aside at the
blood curdling warning of the deadly
rattlesnake, or the approach of unfriend-
" Indians, who generally regarded sur
Veying parties as encrOachments upon
their rights.
But rattlesnakes were our great fear;
they were eVeryWhere-in our path, IN
der our feet, where there was but a mo-
ment between the defiant rattle and the
terrible, venOmOus stroke; and in that
moment, he who did not spring aside
was lost. They would even come into
our camps at the smell of food, as we sat
on our camp stools at our evening meal,
or reclined at length on our blankets be-
fore the night had gathered round. We
could generally keep them out of camp
by stretching around US on the ground
lariats of horse hair, which, it is strange
to say, but true, that rattlesnake will
never crawl over; perhaps from the prick
ing of the horse hair, or it may be, from
some peculiar smell. But sometimes they
could find place to crawl in under, and
then it would not be an uncommon cir
cumstance for one to wake us in the
night with a thrill of horror at feeling
the cold pressure of one of the deadly
reptiles against his cheek, or sharing the
warmth of his blanket, in which case
safety alone depended on keeping per-
fectly still, for at the least movement the
snake would plant his deadly fangs and
glide away.
Not a pleasant bed-fellow, indeed +;
but, as WinculO said: MISERY acquaints
a man with strange bed-fellows;" and,
although 1 had often shuddered at the
thought Of such cOmpaniOnship, yet it is
my purpose here to relate how my life
was saved by a huge rattlesnake one
night on this same expedition.
One day there came into our camp an
Unlocking fellow who said he had got
lost in coming from New Mexico, and not
having any particular destination, he
offered his services to US for his board.
Spanish was his native tongue, and his
only redeeming quality was that of be-
ing a good cook. This somewhat re-
neVed the repulSlVe expression OF his
dark face and treacherOus eyes. He ap-
parently seem to care for only what he
could eat and his little Indian pony; but
I often saw his dark eyes glitter with
coVetous expression when he saw me
paying the wages of the men, or display
ing the roll of money which 1 carefully
kept in a belt around nv waist. Still
thought little of this, for we were in a
country where money was not much
needed, and / supposed he would even
regard it an impOssibility to escape with
money even if he should steal It and
such a thought as murder for money
never entered my head.
After being with Us a few weeks 1 no.
ticed he began to grow restless and discOn-
tented, and he afterward became sulky,
refused to cook extra dishes for US, which
we had on certain days. I plainly told
him to 'vamoOse the ranch" and nat
urally supposed he would take to his
roaming again, but never suspected he
was waiting for his opportunity.
One day the men were following long
line which ran into the south bank of
the Semerone river, and they decided
not to return to camp that night. I had
not been we'll and remained in camp
alone, as we had no fear Of hostile Indi-