The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-10-02


the ground at mile-a-minute rate
was another blacksnake, presumabl
the mate of the one had killed. Thi
snake was coming for me and no mis-
take. l hadn't much time to think
but what thinking 1 did was to tn
point. l threw the dead snake owe
the fence and grabbed stone. Whe,
the pursuing snake came to the bod
OF its dead mate it stopped and passe,
slowly around it. When it offered
favorable mark 1 hurled the stone a
1t. My aim was good. The ston,
landed on the snakes head and pinned
1t last to the ground. I jumped dow
and ran my knife to the hilt in tn,
snakes neck. and that ended him
Inc second measured over eight feet
II thought that was the boss black
snake, but that same summer there
was one killed on the Black Forest
road, in Potter County, that measured
fourteen feet No man killed it, though,
The snake actually came out of the
woods and tried to capture mule that
one of the tannery men was
driving. The man jumped out
OF the wagon and ran away at
sight of the snake. He met three men,
and they went back with him. The
mule stood in the road where the man
had left him. The snake lay in a pile
at one side of the road. His head was
smashed and his back was broken.
There were some big ridges on the
mule, showing that the snake had sue
ceeded in getting few coils around
him, but how the mule had managed
to kill the snake nobody knew. There
was blood on one of the mules hind
feet and blood ON his bit. indicating
that he had in some way brought his
mouth to the aid of his trusty heel, and
the snake had to 60 That snake was
taken to Coudersport. As soon as |
heard Of it l went there post haste,
determined to secure the big black
snake, but they told me l had arrived
too late, as the body had been sent to
the Smithsonian Institution. They
should have sent the mule with it. bv
rights.
'One reason why rattlesnakes get
more plentiful every year is the thin
ming out of deer from the woods. A
blacksnake, as much as he hates rat
tlesnakes, don't hate them bit more
than the deer does. Deer will hunt
snakes as persistently as dog will
hunt birds. When a deer once gets
his eye on rattler that rattler's fate
is sealed. The deer waits until the
snake coils to strike. and then rises on
his hind feet and strikes the snake with
his sharp fore feet, killing it Instantly.
After killing the snake, if there are no
more at hand requiring his attention,
the deer will cut it to pieces with his
hoofs. In the faA of the year. when
the snakes are returning to their dens,
and in the spring when they are COM
ing out, deer visit the dens and kill
rattlers by the score. In this way.
when they were pie nty they undoubt-
edly kept the rattlesnake population
down by thousands every year. Old
hunters say that even if rattlesnakes
in biting deer the poison has
no effect upon them. l guess that it is
mistake. l came across big buck.
me fall, lying dead in the woods in
Clinton County. His body was greatly
swollen. l at first supposed that the
ieer had been wounded by a hunter
md had escaped the dogs and died
without being discovered, but look ing
loser, | saw a rattlesnake's fang in
me OF his nostrils, fast in the flesh.
The deer had undoubtedly attacked a
attlesnake, and the latter had struck
i'm in the nose. The deer, jerking
is head suddenly back, had torn the
ang from the snakes jaw. The deer
ad died of the poison.
IA good many people don't believe
snake can charm things, but I tell
GU it can, and | go so far as to say
hat it don't make any difference
'hether the snake is dead or alive.
Vhen a dead snake can charm goose,
d like to know what there is that a
We one can't charm? / had flock of
* or seven geese, and they were about :
ne next thing to wild, for I couldn't :
ct within a gunshot of them. One !,
ay was going through lot near my ,
ouse, and l noticed one of my geese >
landing with its neck stretched out at
Ill length, and its wings raised away :
ON its body, gazing intently at some :,
ling on the ground.
THE rest of the geese were feeding +
me distance away. l walked toward 4
le goose, and got close enough to .
'uch it, and it never noticed my pres :
ice, The goose's eyes were distend- g
|, and glittered like fire. / looked at :,
e spot upon which the big bird was o
azing so intently, and discovered +
'otted snake of very decided coloring. u
don't know what kind of a snake it a
as, for never saw one like it before .
since. The goose didn't move when 6
touched it, and picked it up and Il
FRIED it away three or four b
lrds, when for the first it seemed to :,
'come aware of things around it, and a
gan to squawk and kick. dropped Il
g goose, and it hurried to rejoin it's {
/ went back to where g,