Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-08-22
STARTLING TALES.
A Very Good Bear and Equally q
Good Snake Story.
How a, Hunter Was Saved From an Az
Death-Cauglat in Hollow Log
Between Two Bears-A
Narrow Escape.


Between Two Bears-A
Narrow Escape.
A few days ago sat in the cabin of
John c., one Of the most widely
known of all the Pike County hunters.
The pine floor of the cabin was covered
with the skins of many wild animals
and the antlers of deer were suspended
in almost every corner of the room.
On the shelf were the rattles of fully
one hundred snakes, many of the skins
OF which were i'll use as straps, rude
clothes-lines and the like. The bleached
skeleton of a bear stood guard at a
gate outside, propped up by slender
little fence around it, while the I'M
dressed bodies of dozen hawks were
nailed to adjacent outbuildings. The
hunter was oiling his gun and
naturally fell into reminiscent mood,
during which he told score of star
Ting tales. One Of these, story of a
monstrous snake, whose skin shone
resplendently in the sunlight, I here
transcribe almost as John related it to
me.
The snake what wore that skin, :"
he said, 'saved my wuthless life"
rose and looked closer at the hand
some but repulsive object. It was
fully seven feet long. Its shrunk
consid'bl now,' he went on. 1.-The
snake what wore that skin lacked one
inch of bein' eight feet long. No SLOUGH
OF a snake, you bet.
''Well, it was a year ago las spring
up on the little creek-jus' about the
time when the air and yearth COM
mencit to git warm and snakes come
out to sun themselves"
Here the hunters wife came quietly
into the room and took a seat upon a
couch in the corner She was deeply
religious woman, and I suppose she
had an idea that her presence in some
bility to the story of her husbands
preservation from an awful death
through the instrumentality of snake.
Il wuz out gunnin' one day. said
the hunter, slowly, land when got to
the ledge hangin' over the little creek
kin show you the very place fore you
go 'way-I set down onto the rock, my
legs hangin' over. That's a fright
SOM prespis, that is. I measured it
with string I bought over at Hawley
on purpus an she measured the string
where them feet is marked on the floor
thar-an' it was ninety-four feet an
some inches-say, ninety-three feet,
allowin' for the stretchin' of the string.
Well, as say, [ was. sittin' thar with
ny feet hangin' down waitin' fur any
thing that might come along and think
in about plantin' corn over in that lot
side of the shed, when all of student
heard rust]in' right benin me. I
turned roun' mighty quick, you kin
bet, an there was that darn snake.
''Well. draw'd the ramrod from my
gun and struck at it-bit it oncet, but
it came right at me. thought then it
was ten or twelve feet long, std of
only seven, it looked SO frightsome an
l allus did hate snake awful Well,
ye see hadn't had no time to git up,
and SO there l sat with my legs hang
in over that ledge and nothin' tween
them and the rocks down below but
ninety three feet Of air. An that durn
critter was onto me fore I knew it.
Well, / was a little bit scared; tried to
git up, but my foot slipped like, an so
still sittin' there I kept strikin' at that
snake. Fore long seen a good chance
and grabbed mister snake by the tail
to throw him down the ledge. Then,
/ tell We, thought my last day had
come. The sudden throw with my left
ham, an my feet not bein' braced
'gainst nothin', the weight of the snake
pulled me of'n the ledge quicker'n
Ightnin'-''
"Mercy! Did you fall down that
ninety-three-foot precipice?'' asked,
with some excitement. 800
mo. That's the Gurus part of the
whole proceedings. I mos forgot to
tell We, there WIZ tree big as my leg
CROWN right straight outen the rock
level like aside of me. Ye see the
snake curled right roun' that tree like
a whip-lash, and when I slipped often
the ledge I hung on to the snakes tail
Now, ! tell We that did stretch some.
Ny! Took my bre'th away, and I
broke out all over in cold sweat, aud
JUS fur a. minnit I thought LINUS
pustuyly leggo. Then thought, sud
dint like, cos I know there was sharp,
broken rocks down below, an it wuz
long way to en-, an If I did leggo
would be sure killed. Then I seq:
Ole man, you mus hang on somehow