New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-03
A PHASE OF The WESTERN FLOODS.
BUSHELS OF SNAKES ABOUT.
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat.


As We rowed across toward the hill we passed float
ing hay-stacks and submerged houses. TO the piles
of drift chung thousands of insects that had been
disturbed in their assaults upon the potatoes corn and
spring wheat The potato bug, with his yellow
Stripes and meek appearance. there By the thou
sands The chinch-bug. cutworm and swarms of other
insects and vermin seemed as happy and conented as
though browsing upon their favortc vegetation While
We were examining these objects farmer pulled IN In
a skf and greeted us:
that the big wsterl drown 'em out, don't we! Wen;
it won't: you kin bet on 1t; Them pesky bugs and
climb OF log. foatin' cofnstaik or anything that
comes along. and sing Life on the Ocean wave, as
country singln school Why, they'll float down on
them sticks an stalks til they land on high ground
somewhere down in Calhoun County, and when they
DO arrive on land again with The appetite mat v T
DAYS 1n III eye r e sror S' EyeTynr e
may drown, but tater-bug seldom, and chnch-bus
Just as the farmer had finished his dissertation the
insect family and we had set our oars for pull through
a piece Of timber short distance away he exclaimed
ov ems
Thinking nothing Of what the farmer said about
shot away from the dIifwood stretch Of open
water and into the deep shadows Of the timber where
wound way under the foliage and darted out across
tho plain beyond The 6o1ghs hung low many o aao
the boat came in contact with small tree and in , an
snakes. Not the little. puny, angle-worm Kind but
big lusty fellows that stood their dignity and dis
puted our right thus wanonly intrude upon the Sc
clusion of their retreat while they enjoying DE-
lghtful sun-bath in the softly swinging b0ughs of the
little maple
Here was situation calculated to make a man adj
dicted to stiff brandy ughtcaps and early morning
cocktails begin to think that the mission OF the tenn
Ierance crusader Is not a Sentlmentality.
Snakes of fancy may be bad enough, but hero was
the genuine article. squrming and writhing ready to
fight finish and contest every inch of the way not
according 10 the London prze-ring rules. In twenty
four-foot ring, but within the narrow confines Of a
twenty fOur-fOOt skf. Quick action and aggressive
movemens soon won the battle, and nine snakes paid
tho penalty with their lives for the bold stand they
made against combined assault with eight pound
ash oars not. however, until Vicious specimen Of
the moccasin family had set his fang deep into the
pondents rubber boot, and exceedingly agile
blue-racer made bold attempt to conceal himself in
the ample trousers leg Of the artist
The battle over, the first thought TO back the
skf out for glance at the bushes and trees in front
army stirring the leaves in threatening manner
they coled and uncoed their repulsve bodies about
sklrmlsh, we did not care to follow up the victory and
the old chestnut about discretion being the better
part Of vaor adopted, and we cautiously pulled
out into the open water and rowed around the little
neck Of timber Il seemed as If every place that
Of the serpents were colledup and looked like large
rubber balls very big birds nests among the leaves
while Others hung down and swayed TO and fro Ike
a piece of rope hanging to limb Occasionally one
more daring than the rest could be seen taking
morning abluton In the cooling waters. Blue racers
and n Win b few 70 e w 5 not ms
like taking the time 10 count. nor did our curiosity
urge strongly enough 10 penetrate again into the
The farmer, whom we soon overhaued again,
ticuiar spot by relating the fact that the piece of
timber was on pretty high ground, and that when
snakes fed to the elevation. but when the overflow
crept up and covered the ground they took TO the
Come said the farmer, "TI take you where
snakes roost thickeT'n files in summer Kitchen,
submerged dwelling with the caves at the back
prepared for the scene that met our gaze this point
over the roof. stretched out al fun length, were
siiEen hacked moccasins and a lege number of black
snakes garter snakes and blucracers These were
on the roof while coiled about the TIN leader and hang
ing over the window-slll on the sunny side OF the
from the north side looked through an open win
dow into the second-stOry. There was bed in one
corner and a lot of miscellaneous household effects
strewn about In confusion. On the bed lay big cat
apparently asleep while just under the southern win
dow where the sunshine crept IN lay shepherd dog
s ana ciose ss Ogs bic raesnake The dogs body was
swollen out Of shape and it took but glance dis
BIT BY cusssd rptler 5.S said d he 1o farmer
and smarcst dogs that ever wagged bis tai on me
shy bottoms. I'll kill that burned snake or he'll Kill
without further comment the farmer climbed into
the window armed W ~rn oh bs before he was fairly
uncoiled ten pounds Of welseas0ned ASH CAME crasn
ing DOM W thu H. oPSy snS Ceased and the farmer
picked the body with the oar and threw IL out inc
So intent was the dogs avenger on dspatchng the
RATHER that be did not notice what was above hls
head, ana not until our warning CRY
he take I'm the situation and make hasty retreat
Every rafter I'm the roof feStOoncd with SNAKES
that awakened from their early morning snooze
by hts intrusion into their ark of safety
" A nice place TO live, amt tls the farmer re-
houses that are above water in this valley have the
Kind Of 6 "s I'm sSR R at to he en
for the bluffs yonder an I'll never float In boat or
walk over these cussed pIaires agn. The snakes
kin have the burned place IL they want IT, I'm goin
20 roost high up In the hills after this"
AS we pulled away from the snake rOOst pas
other deserted houses the same were repeated
Hay stacks, floating drift wood roofs Of barns and
alive with sleeping crawling and writing serpcnts;
Even the surface of the water between houses and
haystacks was alive with snakes evidently searching
Tor food
Among all the submerged dwellings that passed
we found but two occupied by human beings, and
these were substantial log houses, with their second
stories above the water line The first house had a
solitary occupant, and the stories told OF his en-
counter with the snakes were amusing. He closed bis
windows tightly but the snakes crowded in under the
shingles when might approached got into the house
ia spite Of all efforts to keep them out When asked
why he stayed In the house alone. he said
@Ive got no friends 20 90 20. My wife died early
In the spring and I've got books 10 read here plenty
OF tobacco 10 smoke. enough 10 eat, and I'm as IN
dependent as ever Robinson Crusoe was. pH sucA
n out a "a dave Ion er anyhoW.M