The Republican., 1889-05-25

the mouth had been closed with a
few rotten boards. which, giving way
under Aliens great weight. had
caused the catastrophe
For a moment Allen was stunned.
The skin on his body had been abra-
ded in dozen places, and every
bone ached with the force of the fall.
The stockman was almost over
whelmed with rage, for in this acci-
dent he saw himself rendered help.
less, if any there were, would not
leave as much behini as lariat, and
might, should they discover his posi-
tion, kill him. With a muttered
curse of despair he turned TO look for
his revolver. 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 a pair Of small, beady eyes,
and poor Aliens heart almost stood
still, for warning hiss and rattle
told him he had in the well as com.
panion a rattlesnake. The reptile
ratified angrily, and moved his head
from side to side in an uncertain
way, and then 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 we'll and joined its mate, the two
meanwhile keeping up an incessant
rattle. Their slumbers had been
rudely disturbed and they seemed
determined to resent it if possible.
Allen stood as if petrified. He
knew movement on his part meant
an attack, and this attack to HIM
must result in death. Aud such a
death He imagined himself bitten
by the snakes, and his fancy depicted
a frenzied being, with veins filled
with burning poison, wildly crap
ping with the scaly, venomous rep
tiles, and striving with the despera-
ton of the awful fever to mount the
hard sides Of the we'll and die on the
plain above beneath Gods smiling
s'a.s. The sweat poured from the
mans BODY in str( ANS. ThesSnake5
gave forth that musky odor peculiar
to them, and this, taken with the
closencss and warmth of the air, pro-
duced sensation as of suffocation.
In a moment. still kissing angrily.
one of the snakes began to move, and
Allen saw its glistening ewes at his
feet. The claminy thing crawled
over his bare feet and circied around
his naked legs. The creature seemed
to like the warmth of Aliens body,
and stopped for moment. Then it
slowly began to ascend his limbs to
his body, and soon the terrible eyes
were looking into those Of Allen, and
they seemed to burn through to his
brain. Up over his face the creature
moved its head, and then encounter.
ed Aliens crisp and curly hair. With
an angry rattle the snake drew back
his head, and Alien knowing it
would strike, raised his hands as
quick as lightning and gripped the
creature by the throat. With the
other hand he grasped the rattles.
and then he slowly, surely strangled
the creature to death. though the
fearful effiuvium which it emitted
most caused him to faint. For half
an hour he held 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 the other had become
uneasy at the disappearance of its
mate, and seemed on the point of
starting out in search. The fierce,
gIaring eyes moved from side to side
the rattle was seldom still. and Allen
never for a moment took his eyes
from those hostile orbs.
For hours he stood thus, consumed
with a feyerish thirst, his nerves, at
a terrible tension, and his eyes strain
ed and almost bursting. Then the
sky above him began to light up,
and a little ray of sunlight danced on
the western wall of his underground
prison. In a few moments the well
was quite light, and then Allen and
his remaining enemy saw each other
at the same instent. The snake COLL
ed and sprang, but Allen was too ac-
tive. He stepped to one side and let
the snake 60 by him. and then, with
small club, crushed out the veno-
nous life for ever. Then it was that
Aliens great nerve gave way. He
yelled and skrieked and cursed and
tore in a mad delirium and when
neighbors, attracted by his cries, res
cued him an hour later, he was froth-
ing at the mouth, bleeding at the
nose and the snakes were torn to
shreds.
For weeks he Law in his cabin on