Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-12-02
THE ROSS RuLLSNAKE.
The Pet OF the Herders and Terror OF III,
Rattlesnakes In the Powder River
Country.

hdttitshhhts IN the iDNder RIVER
Country.
Several years ago when VIM. Hill
first went to live on the ranch at the
"ferry crossing Of Powder river,
beside the stable there was but
one building, that being n of the
open, half chinked, log shacks, with
open doors and windows. Before
Fill took the place the house had been
occupied by a COW outfit rs a sort Of
horse herders' cabin, and there was a
man stationed there all the year round.
Cow boys sometimes make strange
pets, and the man living there had
taken the notion to domesticate a bull
snake which had evidently settled
there before his time. The snake had
n burrow in the corner Of the stable.
near the house, and was of unusual
size and beauty. Rattlesnakes are
numerous about the Powder river bot
toms. and this snake was sure death
on them, in fact the row boys first in
PRODUCTION to his bullsnakeshlp was
during a choking contest in the clear
ing 10y the river in which the RATHER
came out only second best. Of course
the bullsnake quickly retired to his
hole in the stable and made no further
advances toward comradeship that
day. Knowing the fondness of the
snake for milk Jim approached him
through that medium, and soon struck
up an intimacy. For two or three
years previous to Hills occupancy of
the ranch the bullsnake was always to
be found. The boys took great delight
in feeding, ~fattening and stuGing it to
see how large it would grow, and by
the time the place changed hands the
bullsnake had thriven SO well and had
been SO nicely taken care of that il was
not only Of tremendous size, but was
as tame as any house cat.
Hill had married a wife in Gods
country and brought her out to live at
his new home on Powder river. They
had two children, n of three years,
the other a babe in arms. OF course he
went out to the ranch to make some
improvements before occupying il with
his family. Some Of the neighbors
told him Of this immense bullsnake,
and that il would scare his family out
Of their wits some day, but he thought
nothing Of II. Along 10 the early May,
everything being sunshiny and warm,
and the snakes having all been wax
ened by numerous thunder storms,
the mammoth bullsnake strolled from
his winter quarters to hunt up his old
friends. Possibly the changes about
the place excited his curiosity, hut
anyway his visit was speedily made
manifest. The baby was sitting on
the floor i'm the old shack and the cid
err girl watching her, when ia glidcs
Mr.. Bullsmakc. Mrs. Hill was out in
the clearing. her husband being out on
the prairie after the cows, when she
heard a shrek from the little girl.
Hastily running to the house she was
Mortified ia see an enormous snake coil
ing near the baby. At first she nearly
tainted, but the mothers instinct of
preservation for her offspring came TO
her aid. A heavy, sharp X was
standing alongside the door, and seiz-
ing this she made an attack on the
enormous reptile. In her excitement
she struck him with the fiat of the axe
tbut the muscles were so tense and
strong on the snakes neck that the
axe bounded back as though IL had
been a plaything in a child's hands.
The next time, taking more care, she
struck the snake full in the middle with
/. the blade OF the axe but failed TO cut il
more than half through. But this dis
abled the snake so much that two
: more strokes knocked him out. There
was blood all over that building,
streams of IT, and the logs were stained
. four feet from the floor. The poor
woman stayed out Of that house until
her man came home, and when he
reached the slaughter pen he at one,
remembered the caution he had re.
4 clived about that same snake. ThoS
{ measured the critter and both are pos.
\ tive, having made n note Of the meas