The Irish standard., 1886-09-18
HEN AND SNAKE.
a Spirited Battle Between Two
Natural Enemies.
A ChickeE-Stealing Water-Snake En- ncount
ers a Furious Mother Hen and Is Vans
quished After Protracted and
Interesting Fight.
IN. Z. Times.I.

l .
N. Z. Times.I
A member Of the New York Canoe Club
on a. cruise, padded up to old '.Unc' Rufe'
Thompson's cabin, in the low ground abou
two miles below Port Richmond, Slater
Island, on Saturday and asked for drinl
Of water. Uncle Rufe unty9isted his rheu
matte legs from the rounds Of 81 rickety
chair, craned his perspiring black necl
around the iamb of the front door, anc
shouted: You 'Rindyaun
''l'se beah, Rufa,'' returned big, fat
able-bodied voice in the interior of the
cabin.
Bring de gem' drink of wattah--in de
chaney mug.'
''Eleah 70 is, sah-fne day, sah.' The
drink OF water the china mug and old
Aunt Lornda Ann Thompson came to the
door together. Aunt Lorinda stood III the
doorway long enough to say that she was
fright pco'ly' and then went back to her
| dishes, leaving Uncle Rufe and his visitor
| to discuss the eei-6slaing at their ease
AT the end OF half an hour great COM
! motion arose among the Chickens at the
| south end of the cabin. "You, Rufe ~
shouted Lorinda Ann with startling force,
/ ''see what's de matter with dem var
/ fowls.'
The old man hobbled off toward the
creek, his visitor stroiling indolently after
! him
sHi, dar, 'Rindy!" bawled Uncle Rufe as
he came in sight OF the chickens. "Da1''s .
big wattah-snake st~car'yan OFF one dem
| new chicSens?
| "A spotted watel'-snake about four feet
long had swallowed newly-hatched
chicken and was trying to carry Off an
other The old hen was hopping around
the snake and making loud ana frequent
i outc1y. Part Of her little brood had cius-
| tered about her, The rest had taken refuge
with some elder chickens near the cabin.
''Whar's he--whar's d;.ts tsnalse?" screamed
Aunt l.crinda, as she rushed down tho
path, moving mountain of wrath. She
carried a much worn broom, which she
brandished like & Zulu lance. In another
moment the snake would have been killed
had not the canoeist interfered
"Oh, I say, Aunt Lorinda,'' he sad,
! catching hold Of the broom, sgive the
snake q chance. Don't you see that it is an
even fighter
Aunt Lorinda stopped and looked doubt.
fully at the frantic hen.
"Yah, yahp' shouted Uncle Rufe. 'Da5's
SO. Glib Gle snake chance. bet on dc Oh
hen ebry time. You. Jetf''--to his half
clad son--''go roun' var all' keep de snaka
f'n gittin' in do creek. Yak, yah. Dat's
it, Go it: ole hen; my moneys on you"
The old man danced and capered about
like boy, his rheumatism forgotten sad
al
was doubtful, but sho gave the snake a
ehanca.
The hen was big, dun-colored Brahra,
with large feet and strong beak. The
snake was unusually large in girth,
with wicked-looking head and strong
tail He looked as though he could have
swallowed che old hons entire brood with
out special effort. For few minutes the
old hen acted as though she had gone crazy
She pecked at the snake like prize-ighter
in mortal fear Of his opponent, and she
|. clawed aS b inl with both feet until she fell
over upon her hack in helpless confusion.
She screamed incessantiy, and every
scream was echoed threefold by tho old
rooster aud drove of hens at the cowshed.
abs rooster would have joined valiantlsY in
the fight had he not been kept av bay by
JEFF and old Rufe.
The snake was game. Apparently real
fzing that the ODDS We're against him even
though he beat off tka hon, he squared him
self for . desperate fight. When he found
that he could not get away, but must stay
in the open ground and fight it osut, he
dropped the little chicken that he had been
holding in his mouth and reared his spot
ted neck. The chicken in his throat both
cred him by its weight and he swallowed
it q few inches farther. The act of deg]u-
tition was easy. Then the wicked-look;ng
head rose fully eighteen inches above the
grass. The forked tongue flashed back
and Forth like narrow strip of fame.
"Now, look out, OIL hen /" shouted Uncle
Rufe, as the snake made stroke at the
hens neck eff he kotches holt o. yer by
it, Glib it TO 'iml"
The hen made q dash at the snake with
her wings outspread and her feathers
angrily ruflad. Her sharp bea1 left 81
scar on his spotted skin about a foo5 from
his tail. Then for fully a minute the hen
and the snake followed each other about
in a circle The hen wanted to grasp the
snake by the neck and claw him to pieces,
but she was afraid to get into close quar-
ters She tried it twice, but each time thu
snake lodged and struck back at her. On
ths second attack lie carried away
nlouthful Of her tell feathers.
"Kotcn i'm by de tail, you Of fool:
kotch i'm by Gle taili' the old woman
screamed. "Don't yo' see which enc am
a-movin'!" AS if in obedience to Aunt
Lorinda's Instructions, the hen made
dash, and when her :ut1ed feathers had
calmed down Uncle Rufo was delighted to
dnd that she had the snake by the tail
.Dat's do talk," he howled, as the hen
started to drag the snake toward the cow
she'd s'Hi, there Take kyar!" The
snake turned about like steel spring and
threw himself bodily upon the ben. In
moment hen and snaka were rolling over
on the ground, the snakes tail lashing the
grass like 8 fail, and the hens yF1ngs beat
ing about like the paddles OF a tanning
mill. Uncle Rufe, Aunt Lorinda, jeff and
the canoeist crowded up to watch the
fight.
"Hoopl Gol1y." yelled old Ruse, Civ
Ing Aunt Lorlnda terrible slap between
the shoulders. s'De OIL hens got i'm. !
told yo' sol Bully fo' dat OF henl"
The hen had the snake by the neck and
with her feet on his writhing body she was