Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-21
A SNAKE STORY.
Driven Mad by the Bite OF a Prairie
RsttlesnRke.

rattlesnake'
l had been sleeping on the open prairie
rolled in my blanket. 1t may be a tricl
Of all who have lived for any length o
time on the plains to wake up without
movement OF hand or foot. As ! lay OK
my back, eyes wide open. ] saw that il
was not vet sunrise. My horse, turned
loose the night before to shltt for himself
was grazing few yards away
Faughs Nothing so dIsgusts as the
scent Of a rattlesnake. He must De close
to me to give out such powerful odor.
I began 10 reason and 10 plan. My
blanket was tightly wrapped around me,
and the reptile couldn't have craWled IN.
He must be cured up alongside OF my
body. On which side? The scent came
strongest from the lett. In five minutes
had settled it that be was curled up be-
tween my LETT arm. which was lying nat
on the grass. and my body.
Wen. Let me tell you that prairie rat
tlesuake is no toy 10 play with. He can
coil quicker than fash OF lightning. He
can dart and strike while you draw a
single breath. he never runs away TO
avoid a fight. There wasn't one chance
in ten thousand for me to get out Of that
scTape scot free,
lay there as quiet as death, hoping
the reptile might wake up and make off,
when l heard the footsteps OF my horse.
We had been companions for five years.
He acted as my sentinel through the
night, and at sunrise each morning, when
abroad on an expedition, he came to rouse
me up.
Crunchi crunchl crunchl 1t was his
footsteps in the thIcs grass. The sun was
Just rising. The snake would be dis
turbed! What then!
The snake was disturbed. Before the
horse was within five feet OF me he scented
the RATHER and halted, and uttered sew
eral shorts Of alarm. / was right as TO
the location Of the reptile. ] felt him as
be Strengthened out and cOiIed for a
spring, and the Odor became 50 nausea
ting that 1t required all my self-control 10
remain quiet.
The horse seemed fully 70 realize my
peril. He backed of as though to draw
the snake awav, but the venOmous rascal
was comfortable and wouldn't 90. Then
the horse began to circle around
me. and the rattler lifted bis head and
kept turning IL TO follow the splendid ami
MAILS movements. This action brought
HIM within my range If vision. Indeed,
his head wasn't more than a foot away.
Round and round went the horse, and
when he failed to draw the snake he tried
still another plan. He came as near as
safety would permit, and began 70 tease
the reptile He would paw and snort and
clash his teeth, and at length the rattler
crawled right over nv breast as if to pur-
sue him. l heard the horse retreating,
and naturally reasoned that the snake
was well out Of reach OF me. Drawing a
long breath. whirled over and sprang 70
my feet, but at my very first movement l
felt a sting ia nv right wrist, and gained
my feet only TO find the snake cooled for
another dart. he had not left me to pur-
sue the horse.
Had I been bIttenS / feared so, but
hoped not. There was a red spot on the
wrist, and a drop Of blood oOzed out a. |
held it up. While the snake wriggled of.
defiant 20 the last, I watched the wound
In two minutes | felt certain that had
received his fangs. Holding the wrist to
my lips, l sucked the wound until it
seemed as If all the poison must have
been extracted, and then bound a chew OF
tobacco on the spot. had neither whisky
nor other remedy. and felt that it was
fortunate the snake struck me where |
could get az the wound. AS for my
whereabouts, / had pushed through the
South Pass o. the Wind river mountains,
left tie foothills behind, and was near
the south fork Of the Cheyenne river, on
my way to the Black Hills.
] ate cold bite for breakfast, and had
begun saddling m horse before | felt any
III effects from the bite. Then a feeling OF
EMULATION came over me. / wanted to
scream and whOop, and dance. 1t was as
II i had come across a large nugget of
gold, or had become twO-thirds drunk on
spirits. / couldn't hold myself. ]
shouted, whooped, and jumped about
until the horse looked at me in astOnlsh-
ment. The exultation became bravado.
1 mi - Of frnu trtrt Ffs -
screamed out:
''Come on, with you'll I can whip the
dozen Of you in five minutes! II ! can't
lick every Internal redskin between here
and the Pass then / want TO be called a
squawlD
The spirit OF bravado passed away,
and ! became a martyr. The whole
world was down on me. and nobody would
give me a show. ! sobbed and cried like
woman. aud had some thoughts OF
suicide. BY and by, while ! was yet cry
ing, u began 10 grow dark, and wrapped
my blanket around me and lay down 20
sleep. | remember that my horse rubbed
my face with his nose, and with his teeth
pulled at the blanket. but yelled at him :
"Aud you. tool You are the cause Of
my being bitten, and I'll never forgive
you as long as / liveW
The next l remember was a sudden
aWdheulnRs Inc Dlanket ndQ Deen pulled
of OF me. and | was sitting up. Kneeling
beside me was an old hunter and Indian
fighter. saw HIM dimly, as one looks
into a fog. ! heard bis words family, as
If be were long way of.
"COme. Chicken, what is itY' he asked
! stared at him.
''Must be sunthin' mighty wrong to
make man act like this. Have you been
sick!"
I held up my arm. He pulled the cloth
on the wrist and looked at the wound.
BY gosh! Bit by a rattlerv he muttered.
"When did II happenw
SAT sunrise"
could speak, but my voice seemed to
belong TO some ore else.
"And now it's midarternoon, he said.
= GU amt titten 70 90 on and you amt
htten TO stay here. Chicken, Old Bill has
got 70 tote you over to his camp. You
didn't git 'nuh pizen to kill, but you GOT
nun 20 upset your narves, IL VIII take
three days to git yer level head back"
/ liked the man. j remember this very
plainly. He called me "Chicken" IN the
absence Of another name, and smiled at
the idea. He rose up % help me on my
feet, took a quick glance 20 the west and
then hissed between his clenched teeth:
"Rcds-d0t rot their pictures-and
tweaty Of 'em, az thatl Say, Chicken,
look tharw
looked. IL seemed as II ! looked into
a morning mist. Three miles away were
n score or more OF mounted Indians. Old
Bill Whistled 10 his horse, and the animal
camn running m with nv own beast