The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-03-18
A STARTLING ENCOUNTER.

A STARTLING ENCOUNTER.
They told me when | got hom
that | looked pale, and my wife de
clared she had known all along tha
| should suffer from so much wac
ing of that cold river after trout. LIE
me tell you what it was that ha'
frightened me. together with one o
two peculiar accompanying circum
stances.
1t was a bright morning in earl,
June that John hitched "old Nor
gan" to the wagon, while l donne'
my fishing-suit and prepared th
lunch, or, rather, told the woman
how to prepare it. | had a pair Q
stout corduroy pants made on pur
pose for forest aud river wear. ant
In setting the pockets the maker ha'
so cut and Inserted them that the,
hung low down upon the thighs
causing a chafing sensation from
their contents anything but agreeble
"Hallol how is this ?" | cried. a
/ put my spare lines into the lef
pocket .CSaid lines were compact,
wound upon carefully prepared
section of pine shingle) | though
you promised to alter these pockets
before had occasion to use theE
again"
who knows" asked the lady
present, but the depth of thes,
pockets may he the means of savins
to you something of value, which
you might have lost had | cut then
off?"
"All ready !" shouted John at thai
for which | was thankful
| turned and saw "Morgan's" intelli
gent face peering at the window
John holding him by the bit, and
without further remark | packed ny
and made off, only stopping to dc
what | have never vet learned to
fnrego-to kiss my loved ones as the
parting blessing is whispered. 1,
dissipates mists and makes sun
shine.
Into the wagon, and away We
went Up Swift river, in the town
Of Albany, n H. 1--WE starte9 from
Conway }, under old Mote Mountain
taking the shadow Hay Stack and
E gle Ledge-the-e on our right, the
swiftly rolli ., d dashing river low
down on the LETT in under the grim
side of Chocorba. thence over the
river, and now tbr, ugh region az
wild and romantic as the most de-
voted lover those sublime in forests
compass could desire, up to the
Falls, where we embarrassed my
faithful horse, secured him. and gave
him something to eat and then
over to the little pond under Spruce
where we caught 30 beau
tiful trout. After this we ate oul
lunch, and then -tonk- about 100 o
the specked fellows from the river
We quit fishing a little earlier than
We might otherwise have done. il
order that We might keep promise
made TO the women folks. We haG
inadvertently let them into a know
ledge of the fact that on the way to
and from our fishing ground we pass
ed a spruce wood, where We had OBJ
served signs of nice chewing gum
the result of which was that we were
placed under a solemn promise tC
take leng-handled chisel with US
the very next time We went up the
river, and get them a ''good lot o
spruce gum" Ard on this after
noon We started on our return three
quarters of an hour earlier for ths
purpose of fulfilling cur promise.
The spruce wood WAS within three
or four mites of home, and, arrived
there we secured the horse, took ouI
long shatted chisel, and set forth
We had gone but q short distance
WHEN we discovered a large rattle
snake in the path ahead OF US, which
John succeeded in killing. H,
meas ured, as nearly as l could judge
from five aud half to six feet ir
length-a large one, with eight rat
ties; but we could see that some O
the rattles had been broken off. Hi.
full number would probably hav,
been 10 or II, and perhaps more
The tail looked as though a ston,
had fallen upon il, as the last re
msIning vertebra was bruised.
OH how | shudder when l SEE
one OF those monsters !! Talk of you
cobras and moccasins, and you
vipers believe there j!
uothing of the reptile kind NOR,
deadly than our New England rattle
shake. | know they give token o
their presence in shrill, piercing
one knows it better
but annihilation seize them they
will strike death blow while they
do it, if they can
[ looked for gum while John car
ried the dead snake to the wagon
and slowed it away under . branch
OF break leaf When he returned VI
talked of rsttlesnake, and told 4
each other what We had heard ant
read, and what we knew of thei
awful nature and power.
.,Of course, SAID John, who hold
himself an oracle in such matters
there's .asoshsr-o,,thdm snakes no
far away. They always travel il
pairs"
And be was not the first who haC
declared the same thing in my hear
ing. However, We we're after spruc,
gum, not snakes, and We made 8
strike for it. had tree in my
minds eye" Il was . stately spruc.
which had been blown over by )
gale during the previous March. ths
top of which had been lodged
among a clump of shrub-0sk that
grew upon an abrupt elevstion-ar
which must once have
oeen a bank of Swift river. bat ths