The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-11-28
AFLoRlpA SNAKE STORY.
Two oiris. fssssegea BY Rattisfs, witness
Hot Hattie.


Hot Battle.
That big rattIers still exist here the
experiences of Misses Fay and MAY
Barnes. living some five miles from
here, eonelusiyeiy proves. The girls
were out berrying last week, and went
down into the Pony Creek hammock a
wild and dismal stretch of dark woods
aud heavy underbrush. Late In the
afternoon, while getting ready to re-
turn home, May stepped on rotten
log which broke aud let her down in-
TO a deep hole which II concealed As
she fell she heard dismal and curious
rnstllng. rattling noise. but the fall so
scared her that she did not think what
Il might mean. She screamed out
loudly, and Fay. who was short wny
behind. came running up. May then
was In the hole. only her head being
visible.
Hurry up and help me ontir she
screamed. rs her sister came mp
there's snakes In here. I'm sure. y aud
the poor girl almost tainted Ia the In
tensity Of her fright.
Fay set 10 work like brave frontier
girl, as she was and tried to pull Nav
out; but IL seemed an impossible task.
as she had sunk into the hole so deep
and the rotten wood had almost wedg-
ed her In. Seizlug May by the shoul-
ders she pulled Justify. but to no avail.
Then, after moments thought, she
took oil the shawl that she wore, aud,
twisting one end around MAYS shout
ders. fastened the other end 10 big
limb near by. This made II so that
the imprisoned girl could aid herself
some. Nerving themselves and with
a .'pull all together they strained.
aud with delight both saw they were
successful.
May came up out OF the hole aud
sank fainting on the ground. As Fay
turned TO help her she was Mortified TO
see the heads of several vicious and
angry looking rattlers emerge from the
hole. aud their loud rattles wers
echoed from several points around
them In the forest. Hastily catching
up her sister, with superhuman
strength that she was surprised at
afterward. Fay carried her fainting
aud helpless sister of out of the threat
ened danger. Soon. under her ener-
/ getic treatment. MAY opened her eyes
with a shudder, but as she heard the
loud Kisses of the scrpents that had
escaped out of the hole aud saw their
| horrible aspect. she screamed out loud
in her fright. Fay proved the heroine
OF the occasion. and. getting her sister
| on her feet, she managed TO get her uD
on a tall pine stump that stood some
five or six feet above the ground. as
she saw that IL was impossible TO carry
May oil in her present unneryed con-
dition.
As the girls scrambled up on the
stump out Of present danger the angry
Ratings of the snakes became very
startling. aud their vicious kissing
made the girls shudder in spite Of their
| present safe quarters. The snakes be-
came more aud more angry rs their
number Increased, and they began sur
rounding the stump on which the two
girls now covered praying for help
aud ever aud anon shouting for aid
The sound OF their voices plainly an-
gered the rattlers. and they soon pre-
| sented a solid ring around the stump.
They would crawl up as near as pnssi-
ble, aud then coil up aud strike at the
| Imprisoned girls. ont always falling
back with Kisses of rage and venom.
One of the largest managed To hit
the top part of the stump aud his fangs
| held him there a moment. but Nav,
| with a quick movement arose on her
feet and stamped on his head. COM
pletely crushing 1t. His squirming
body fell back among the others. aud
the long body thrashed around In their
| midst till. aroused TO the utmost fury
by this disturbance. which they did
not seem to understand. the others fell
on the dying reptile and bit him time
and again. One of the tercest made a
'mislick" aud hit another, and this
one retorted with n vicious bite that
all Il -.
fight became general. The vicious
around that stump in one mad fight.
hitting one another. Kissing with im-
potent rage and thrashing about mad
" in their dying struggles. The girls
looked on with big frightened eyes,
devoutly hoping that their deliverance
was working itself out. The sickening
stencil from the poisoned fangs Of the
serpents began TO effect the girls. and
both soon fell forward in faint, the
broad top of the pine stump fortunate
ly holding them fast.
How long the fight lasted they knew
not. as their first recollection of recoy-
cry was to hear the guns and shouts of
their friends. Their eager replies soon
brought their rescuers to them and a
frightful scene met their eyes. Scat
tered about the stump were fifteen or
more big rattlers dead or dying. mutt
lated and torn upin their mad fight to-
gether. Only three were found alive
and these were around the stump,
coiled up aud cycling the girls forms
on it. They were soon dispatched and
the poor girls brought down from their
fearful Situation.
Old hunters think that May fell into
rattler's home. and that she was not
bitten while in the hole because it was
dark in there. her body filling up the
opening so that the snakes were toe
bewildered to strike Globe Democrat.