The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-07-16

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Thrilling Adventure in California.
The oddity of his name struck me.
After supper | ventured to inquire
how he came to be called Rattlesnake
jim
Why" he cried. didn't Won ever
hear how ! got that name? thought
everybody knew about that
He evidently felt chagrined. / has
tened to explain that / was a stranger
in the State, and had just come up to
this mountain valley on a fishing expe-
dition. This at once Modified him,
and after whisky straight and no
water" at my e. pense, he explained
the origin of his name as follows:
Bob McGill and | we're down on
the Middle Feather one summer. pros
pecting and hunting. We killed a lit
tie game. caught plenty of fish, had
lots of hard climbing, but did not find
a claim that was worth cent.
The river canon is very Deep and
the sides are almost solid rock. 1t is
the hottest place in all California.
''One day we came TO a queer spot
and stopped to examine ii. 1t looked
like big stone cup turned upside
down in stone saucer The rock was
lava and full of cracks and assures. In
three sides the cup was pretty steep,
but on the fourth was a little narrow
place to walk up. We crossed the
stone saucer and climbed the knob or
cup.
jest as we got TO the top. Bob says.
Look thar and pInted right down on
the other side. Three big rattlesnakes
were coiled up in the sun. | always
did hate RATHER. so ! poked my gun
over the edge of the rock and let drive.
Right thar | made mistake. We
ought to have skipped out and let
them snakes sleep. The moment |
fired, two of them, for | only killed
one. twisted and ratified, and coiled up
ready to fight. If they had been the
only ones we would have laughed. but
you see the old rock basin was plum
full of the piZen critters. We were
right in the middle of rattlesnakes'
den. Those two made their rattles
fairly whiz, till every snake in the place
was crawling out of the cracks in the
rock. If you hear me tell it, we were
in fix. We could not run, and thar
were too many snakes TO fight. 1t
were lucky for us that the little trail
was the only place whar they could
reach the top of the rock.
I'VE kept still minute, thinking
maybe they would 90 back. but it was
no use. They were spilin' for a fight,
and seemed to know they had us in
box. They could see us right n Dove
=,
WELLER jackets.
They didn't wait more than a min
ute or two till they started up that lit
tie trail. just how many Of the blamed
snakes thar were | have no idea. |
reckoned about n thousand. but Bob
always stuck to it thar were a round
million.
Our guns were double barreled
breech-loaderS, and most of our car
tridges were filled with bucksh0t. The
snakes were SO thick that we killed
from one to half dozen at each
fire. We managed for a time to keep
the little trail clear. but they kept Il
coming faster and faster. We killed
'em by the bushel, and if we could
have made the pizen things into lie and
cpiNl IL 1T - ttlllS u 8tIIOu, we cOulu
have made Il pile OF money.
We were nightly scared for fear
they would find way up through the
BIG rock. itself, and kept watch all the
time. If our cartridges hold out
long enough we could stand 'em off.
but we had to shoot lively. and they
would soon run short. The whole
rocky bottom was plum full of them
wriggling, rafting. squirming snakes.
We didn't have Il drop of anti-snake
bite with us. Had drank it all up long
before. What was worse, it was a
good five miles up the mountain TO the
nearest place whar any could be got.
I'VE were shaky in our knees for
the smell of them snakes made us
sick. Reckon you think we were
scared. Bob was no SLOUGH at fight
ing anything in the woods; and, stran-
ger, | never turned back from the big
gest grizzly in the mountains; but
right then we would have been mighty
glad TO have got away
Oar cartridges were running low.
We made up our minds that we would
have to take chances of running right
across that lot of pizen rattlers. 1t
was 4 desperate case. but we had BIG,
thick boots on, and might get through.
Bob gave a groan when the last
shot went. We've got to chance it
now said he.
We grabbed our guns so rs to use !
them as clubs. Then we walked down |
the rock little bit, and looked down |
among the snakes. tell you. stranger
Il were like going right down into hell |
The snakes wriggled and twisted, coiled
up and ratified till the air fairly whiz-
led
Thar is many thing in the woods
hat sounds like the rattle of snake.
Sometimes it's a leaf, it may be n little
stick. or some dry seeds in a small pod.
GU Jump for Il minute, and then
au@h TO think how easy YOU got sold.
sui when you hear genuine rattle
rom snake that is mad. YOU will
lever mistake it. 1t will come Iearer
waking dead man than n shock of
bottled lighting. Thar is not beast
Tor bird bnt will get out of the way
s quick as man.
just as we shut our teeth and oripped
mr. guns for a start. Bob caught me
y the arm and cried, Wait Bit
Then he run to the top of the rock and
'eiicd. Come here. Give me hist
avs he, rs | reached him. L think |
an reach than oak limb.
The limb of Il big oak came down
yer the top of the rock. and this Bob
ould just reach by my holding him up
$ high as | could. He grabbed the
NIB and climbed Up little, aud that
rought it down SO | could get hold
n it,
we were none too quick. for the
famed snakes were crawling up
nightly lively. aud | had to kick one
EN- away from me rs | swung off