River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-12-19
PEcCARY AND RATHER.
A Fierce Fight Which Ended ia a Victory
for the Little Pig.

A Fierce Fight Which Ended ia a Victory
for the Little Pig.
rnt long since, while in camp near
the loot hills of the Diablo mountains,
our Mexican scout was heard hallooing
and bawling from amid the bush about
one hundred yards down stream. We
jumped to our feet and ran to the spot,
where we found the descendant of
Montezuma gazing intently on the
ground and nearly frightened out of his
seven senses by something he saw there.
Approaching carefully. we beheld in a
little clearing an immense rattlesnake
coiled, with his fourteen rattles poised
in the air and making music for all he
was worth, to the terror and distress of
the hOrror-stricken Mexican. The snake
was one of those bloated yellow things,
a genuine Staked Plains RATHER and from
his ugly, horrid appearance 1 could
see the reptile was simply overloaded
with poison. Such are the kind the
Apache Indians seek when they want to
secure materials for poisoning their ar
rows. / must admit that, although I
have killed scores and hundreds of rat
tlesnakes in my time, yet this fellow
looked so perfectly horrible and deadly
that hesitated to undt rtake the duty
of destroying him.
While watching him, and carefully
calculating the best and safest means of
putting an end to his existence, whisti
rushi like a shot from a rife out from
the bushes darted small, brown object.
which leaped headforemost headiong
directly upon the serpent. 1t was a
very small pecC ". Quick as the latter
was, yet the rattler was quicker, and
succeeded in making two strikes at the
pig, burying its fangs first in the lip
and next in the leg, but the peccary
paid no more attention to those trifiing
taps than if the strokes had never
been made. He caught the rattle
snake about the middle with his
mouth, and placing his sharp fore hoofs
on the lower coils of the shiny Great
ure, proceeded to tear the reptile into
shreds- Tortured by the enemy, who
was destroying him, the head and upper
portion of the snake worked like light
ming. delivering stroke after stroke
with such rapidity that its body looked
like an elongated yellow and brown
streak. Indeed, the motion was so in
tensely swift that / could only compare
it TO the piston of a locomotive when the
engine is going at full speed. We had
retired 10 the shelter of the nearest
brush, where we stood observing this
strange combat without disturbing the
parties most interested. The little ag-
gressor had now stretched the links OF
the snake with such tension that he was
unable to do more damage, and so
was forced TO let go in order
to catch a hold further down.
The moment he released his foot
grip his bristly little body was en-
veloped by the coils, and the RATHER
proceeded 10 squeeze with his lower
half, while the head portion was still
going it hammer and tongs as before.
But the rattlesnake is no constructor
and the contest was soon over. Making
a grab at the darting fangs. the little
quadruped caught the head in his
mouth, and with a vicious snap COM
pletely severed that member from the
body. This he proceeded to swallow
with great relish. The headless coils
now relaxed and fell to the ground,
where they lay squirming and wrigghng
until the head with it's load of poison
had been disposed of. Then the little
fellow grabbed the body, secured good
hold, and with self-satisfied grunt ran
off and disappeared in the forest.-Fort
Davis (Tex.) Cor. n. Y. Times.