Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-08-22


ly to the heart which gives it this radiant
mission. The most successful man is the
one who has been of greatest use in his
day and generation."- Macon Advocate.
ADVENTURE WITH A RATTLESNAKE.
They told me when arrived home that
looked pale, and my wife said she knew
I should suffer from so much wading in
the cold water after trout.
I am now going to relate what frighten-
ed me, and see if the readers blame me if
I look white.
It was on bright June morning in the
year 1885 Eddie harnessed old Jimmy to
the wagon, while dressed up in my hunt
ing suit and told the old woman to get the
lunch ready. I had stout pair Of cordu-
roy pants made on purpose for hunting and
fishing, and in their make up the pockets
were large and long and hung down on
my thighs in way that l did not fancy.
"Hallo! how is this?" l cried, as put
my spare lines in my left pocket, II
thought YOU promised to alter these pock-
cts before / would want to use them
again."
"Who knows" said my wife, "but the
depth of those pockets may yet save your
life"
said no more.
Gall ready" shouted Eddie. I turned
and saw old Jim's face peering in at the
window. I jumped in and made OIL,
taking the road that led up into the heart
of old Ossipee Mountain to valley called
Canaan. After a hard scramble for the
horse, we found oursell Les in the happy
land surrounded on Il sides by lofty
mountains-we drove Up to one of the
farm houses and obtained hitthing place
for our horse then with our fishing tackle
we started for Beams pond-a wild, lonely
place, high up among the mountains:
Arriving there we caught sixty speckled
beauties. After this we ate our lunch and
caught twenty more trout, and made up
our mind we had caught all we could car
ry over the rough road, and we had prom
ised the women folks that we would get
them some spruce gum, hence we had
taken our long-handled chisel with US.
Upon the north side of Ossipee Mountain
is heavy growth of spruce and for it
we aimed. AS we toiled up the old log
ging road we suddenly came upon rat
tlesnake basking in the sun directly in our
path. Eddie obtained a stout pole, and
with few we'll directed blows killed him.
90 rattles. Oh! how I shudder when l
see one Of those monsters! Talk to me of
your pithons, cobras, moccasins and your
water snakes. l think there is nothing
more deadly than our own New England
ratlesnakes. l know they give you warn
ing of your danger in shrill, piercing
alarms, but their deadly spring is made at
the same time of the warning. took a
stout line and tied it round the body Of
the snake, and Eddie dragged him along,
while began my hunt for gum. l knew
from the nature of the varmints there must
be another snake not great distance
off. But we were after spruce gum, not
rattlesnakes, and we began to skirmish
round briskly, for the afternoon was pass
ing.
Up the side of the mountain we saw q
monster spruce upturned by the wind OF
the previous spring. The top was lodged
among a clump of scrub oaks. Along the
sides of this tree were many Jumps OF
pure spruce gum. 1 gained the side OF
the fallen tree and worked my way in
among the thick shrubbery. AS | began
to pick off the Jumps l thought what
lurking place for snakes. These scrub
oaks were about four feet high. | knew
I had stout garments on that would stand
the pulling of the bushes. 1 had secured
twenty or thirty Jumps OF gum, all within
my reach, and was making a push farther
on, when 1 paused as though thunder
bolt had burst upon me from the clear
heavens above. Reader, did you ever
hear that alarm! If not, you may have
heard the shrill cry of our locusts that fly
from tree to tree during the warm days OF
summer. Well, then YOU know some
thing about the alarm mite of the rattle.
snake, and this was what l heard and
what arrested my steps,.
Within one second after l looked down,
the deadly reptile was ready to strike, the
head was thrown back, the upper jaw
raised until it fairly lay over towards the
crest, and I knew the blow was coming.
l could only throw up my hands, start
backwards and think of my wife and
children at home Oh how my past life
fitted before my mental vision-was my
life of wild rovings all over the world to
end here on the side of Ossipee Mountain?
The blow came quick and strong, striking
me upon the leftthigh, and gave spring
backwards; 1 looked doWnwards and saw
that the venomous reptile was clinging to
my pants, the hooked fangs preventing his
letting 60 while / was in that position.
In another instant, however, the prehen-
sile tail or the lower part of the body,
caught among the bushes and the fangs
were torn away.
In starting to spring back my heel caught
against some obstruction, and in order to
save myself was obliged to grasp branch
of the fallen spruce, the only thing at hand
stout enough to support me, and in doing
this l made slight spring to the left
Mercful power! My left foot came down
on something that moved and struggled
and hissed and felt shock as though
10000 galvanic batteries had sent their
current through me. 1 cast my eye down,
and saw bright bow formed OF two fine
threads of light, clearly defined amid the
deep shade of the scrub. I knew it was
the monsters eyes flaming, makinga curb
of light as the ugly head swept to and fro.
But only for a moment my foot was on its
body, not more than third of the distance
from its tail, so that full two-thirds of the
body was free, and it was large snake
What did 1 do? What could do?
Backwards to the sled road I staggered,
faint and dizzy, knowing that 1 had been
struck and expecting every moment to
feel the touch of poison on my vitals. AS
reached the logging roads Eddie was by