Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-05-18


twenty-five feet. The well had been
dry for years and the mouth had been
closed with a few rotten boards.
which, giving way underneath Aliens
great weight, had caused the catas-
trophe.
For a moment Allen was stunned.
The skin Of his body had been abraded
in dozen places and every bone ached
with the force OF the fall. The stock
man was almost overwhelmed with
rage, for in this accident he saw him
self rendered helpless and knew the
thieves, II any there were, would not
leave as much behind as lariat and
might, should they discover his posi-
tion, kill him. With o muttered curse
Of despair he turned to look for his re-
volver, determined to fight to the last
should an attack be made upon him.
AS he turned he saw cleaning and
flashing in the murky darkness pair
Of small, beady eyes, and poor Aliens
heart almost stood still, for a warning
hiss and rattle told him he had in the
well as a companion rattlesnake.
The reptile ratified angrily and moved
his head from side to side in an
uncertain way, and tn en- behind Allen
there came an answering sound and
he knew he had two reptiles to cope
with instead of one.
The snake behind him soon crossed
the well and joined its mate, the two
meanwhile keeping up an incessant
rattle. Their slumbers had been
rudely disturbed and they seemed de-
termined to resent it If possible.
Allen stood as if petrifed. He knew
a movement on his part meant an at
tack. and this attack to him must re-
suit in death. And such death! He
imagined himself bitten by the snakes
and his fancy depicted frenzied be.
ing with veins filled with burning
poison wildly graphing with the scaly,
venomous reptiles, and striving with
the desperation of the awful fever to
mount the hard sides Of the well and
die on the plain above, beneath Gods
smiling stars. The sweat poured
from the poor mans body in streams.
The snakes gave forth that musky
odor peculiar to them, and this, taken
with the closeness and warmth OF the
air, produced q sensation as of suffo-
cation.
In a moment. still kissing angrily,
one of the snakes began to move, and
Allen saw its glistening eyes at his
feet. The clammy thing crawled over
his bare feet and circled around his
naked legs. The creature seemed to
like the warmth of Aliens body and
stopped a moment. Then it slowly
began to ascend his limbs to his body,
and soon the terrible eyes were look
ing into those OF Allen and they seemed
to burn through his brain. Up ovel
his face the creature moved its head
and then encountered Aliens crisp and
curry hair With an angry rattle the
snake drew back his head, and Allen
knowing it would strike, raised his
hand as quick as lightning and grippeC
the creature by the throat. With the
other hand he grasped the rattles, ant
then he slowly, surely strangled the
creature to death. though the fearfu
effluvia which it emitted almost caused
him to faint. For half an hour he helC
the snake firmly; he saw the malignant
light in its eyes grow dim and finally
disappear, and then he knew one
enemy at least was dead. But he
dared not drop the dead snake, for tbs
other had become uneasy at the dis
appearance of its mate and seemed OF
the point of starting out in search
The fierce, glaring eyes moved from
side to side, the rattle was seldom still
and Allen never for moment took hii
eyes from those hostile orbs.
For hours he stood thus, consumed
with feverfsh thirst, his nerves at {
terrible tension and his eyes strained
and almost bursting, Then the SKY
above him began to light up and {
little ray of sunlight danced on tht
western wall of his underground prison
In few moments the we'll was quit,
light, and then Allen and his remain
ing enemy saw each other at the SAM
instant. The snake coiled and sprang
but Allen was too active. He stepper
to one side and let the snake go b!
him, and then, with small club
crushed out the venomous life forever
Then it was that Aliens great nerv
gave way. He yelled and shrieked an,
cursed and tore in a mad delirium
and when neighbors, attracted by hi
cries, rescued him an hour later h
was frothing at the mouth, bleeding a
the nose, and the snakes we're torn t.
shreds.
For weeks he lay in his cabin on tn
outer edge of death, but his sturd.
constitution stood by him and he re
covered, though he was but a wrecl
of his former self. His neighbor
"rounded-up" what little stock he ha'
leit-for the thieving residents Of tn
frontier were quick to take advantag
OF his helplessness-and Allen left TO
New England to recover, if possible
his former health. But the shock wa
too severe and Allen will never be
man again. At the age of thirty-si.
he is as infirm as man Of seventy
and his life is devoid Of pleasure. II
can not remain long in one place, TO
his nerves demand constant chang
of scene, and he is q homeless, helples
wanderer. Soon death will come t
his relief and then, perhaps, Allen vii
learn why this dreadful plague wa