Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-06
! ACRES OF SNAKES.

ACRES OF SNAKES.
A Lively Experience with Massaur,
Snakes I'm Michigan. q, +
From the Cleveland Plaindealer f..
Snake stores are always interesting,
but the reality of a bout with snake
IS Tar from interesting to the partic-
lpant. The rattlesnake-and par
ticularly the mountain rattler-fgures
oftenest in newspaper snake stories.
seldom see the massauga mentioned.
Even the books do not speak of it,
And yet every pioneer farmer Of Ger.
tain parts ofAlichigan knows all about
it and shudders as the name is men
toned. He does not fear the rattle.
snake, for the latter gives warning of
his presence, although have often at
first mistaken the signal of a RATHER
for the noise of q locust. He can even
endure the sullen and deadly copper.
head. But say, 'look out; there's a
deadly massauga" to him, and he will
Jump even when standing in his own
parlor.
A gentleman went from Cleveland
many years ago into the then wilds of
Southern Michigan. Seeing that he
was not getting ahead in the world in
the city he determined to buy a little
farm. All his possessions including a
little family and a big ak, but he hew.
ed a comfortable competence with it.
he hadn't money enough to buy a
team, and farming without team is
like writing without hands. One day
farmer OF comparative wealth said
to the ex-Clevelander: will sell you
that yoke OF stays if you will clear
three acres OF swamp for me with
Them" The stays were an ugly span
OF brutes that ran away on the slight
est provocation. An honest yoke of
oxen are as much superior to a yoke
OF stays as @ horse Is to wild and
untamed zebra, but stays are better
than no. team at all. The farmer
seemed surprised when his offer was
accepted. The swamp was dense
growth OF high Bushes. The stays
hitched to a clump of these bushes
pulled them out by main strength,
and usually celebrated the accom-.
plishment of the pull drumming away
with the uprooted bushes. -.
"Detter put on cowhide boots and
long gloves" said the farmer, grimly,
as the ex-Clevelander prepared to en-
ter the swamp for his first day 8 work.
The latter asked why he needed those
belongings, but the farmer refused to
answer him. He soon. found out
The swamp was literally alive with
snakes. There were all varities, but
the most numerous kind was short,
tat brown snake, saucy and spiteful.
Whenever the x-Clevelander moved
about into the Businesses of the swamp
he would feel something strike his boot
legs and look down to behold one of
those stubbed snakes darting at him.
AS he bent over to fasten the chain
about clump OF bushes one OF those
snakes would strike at his hands and
arms protected by heavy gauntlet
gloves. Returning home from his first
days work he found his boots and
gloves scratched is scores of places by
the fangs of these serpents.
"What are you doing?" asked
neighbour. 49,
Pm clearing up the Doty Swamp"
was the reply.
The eighbor threw up his hands in
horror, and exclaimed: II wouldn't
walk into that swamp, let alone work
in it, for farm. It's full of snakes,
mostly massaugas. Don't know what
massaugas are? Well, if one bites you,
you'll know. They are ten times
worse than a RATHER, and never give
any warning before they STRIKE"
"A few days later learned the hor.
ror with which the farmers regarded
thereptile. They were at work in the
barn. Alittle boy was playingjust out;
side the large open doors of q barn
where men were "cleaning up'' wheat.
An old lady who was visiting the fami-
~ was famous for taking snuff from
large brown gutta percha box in the
form of a coil. All at once the boy ex-
claimed. "There's Mrs. Smiths snuff
box!" and stopped over to pick it up.
A pioneer farmer seized the lad and
hurled him twenty feet away, and
then darted back himself and seized q
club. The snuff box proved to be a
brown massauga, cooled up for q
spring at the unsuspecting child. It
darted toward the boys rescuer and
fought him desperately, but was Fl.
nally killed. It. Was a popularity Of
those massaugas that they would turn
up IN the most unexpected localities.
At last. the swamp was cleared.
Talk about your brave knights that
rode out armorplated to fight their
enemies! The man who reclaimed
that swamp was greater hero than
any OF them. More than once great
blue racer--a species SO cowardly at
times and so brave on other occasions
cooled itself about his leg with con-
struction so strong as to almost stop
the circulation OF blood and darted
it's horrid but harmless head toward
his face. --.,.5. IN ..sEH
When the bushes had been pulled
out and piled up and dried the fun OF
burning them fell to me. It was terri
bic fun. The flames had begun to
sweep over the piles Of brushes when
three great blue racers came gliding
and the snakes pursued me. They
Cal uiSIAnce tue HeeCeSG morse, ana
soon reached me. Then turned
about to give them battle, when the
towards glided away from me
with rush. The fire spread.
More q snakes darted out he Of
the reach Of the flames. i procured q
club and mounted a large stump. For.
more than an hour / stood watching
the horrible sight. The swamp was
bounded on one side by a creek, on.
another by the highway !, on another
by q cultivated field, and the side
where / stood by woods and more
swamp. The flames drove all the