The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-08-28
A nassIes.ane story.

make once very much like the one Mr..
Wiley, of Brooklyn, had recently in
5teuben county" said ex-Sheriff War
zen Kimble Ridgway, of Pike county.
1T didn't scare me, though, but 1t came
near soaring another fellow into ever
lasting fits.
"A big party of US were csmped on
the headwaters Of Bright Brook. back
in Pike county, SO far that the nearest
house was seventeen miles away, and
that was bark peeler's cabin. We
had tent that would hold dozen men,
and large-sized commissary depart
ment. We had been in camp a couple
of days when 1t suddenly occurred to
me that we had gone back in that wild
erness to fish for trout, and / rugged up
my tackle and started down the brook.
And what fishing that wasl Every few
feet trout, and the smallest one would
be thought big one in those DAYS OF
troutingi You can't find anything like
it in that country now. | actually waded
down the stream sometimes for 100
yards without dropping fly on the
water. for there were many favorite
pools l wanted to try. and l was filling
my .creel too fast. With all these long
intervals OF resting the stream, | had
not fished mile before had filled COM
fortably my 15-pound basket, and was
about leaving the stream to walk back
to camp when l saw big rattlesnake
come deliberately out from the bushes,
crawl to the edge OF the stream. pause
there for a moment, and then glide into
the creek and pull for the other side.
Nov whenever you see a rattle
snake swim brook, make up your mind
that the snake has good reason for it.
was wondering what could have forced
this rattler TO take the water when the
reason was made plain to me. The rat
tlesnake hadn't got to the middle Of the
creek yet, when Whit came a tremen-
dous big blacksnake out of the bushes
on the rattle's trail.
Aha said /, you've saved your
bacon by the skin OF your teeth that
time, Mr.. Rather
"For you must know that the rattle
snakes deadliestsenemy and DESTROYER
is blacksnake, and blacksnakes won't
go in the water-that is. the big high
land blacksnake OF Northern Pennsyl-
vania the kind am speaking of, won't
and suppose this RATHER knew it.
The blacksnake paused second on the
edge OF the creek, and then wizzed away
down the stream, perhaps with some
vague idea that he might get across
somewhere and catch the RATHER yet.
Whatever might have been in the
blacksnakes mind 1t was in my mind not
to let that rattlesnake get away from
me. | hurried across the brook and got
at the other side before the RATHER had
reached it. The snake saw me and
turned it's head downstream.
II
pitched it at the reptile. 1t struck the
snake few inches back of the head and
carried it to the bottom and held il
there. just as Mr.. Wiley's stone pinned
his snake the other day. The rest of
slasheds around inthe water like apin-
tail and gave yank at it that one would
supposed would pull the snake IN two.
But it didn't.
1.-THE head and neck came from under
the stone intact. The force of the Jerk
brought the snake with considerable
force up against my chest, and Mr..
Rattier's head striking me handy for
the purpose he set his front teeth square
in the lapel of my coat, so close to nv
chin that his breath might have blown
through my whiskers, if had anv.
"YOu may we'll imagine that didn't
permit the snake to rest his head
against my bosom, but tore him loose
with another jerk, and the next second
had my heel on his head and his DAYS
were numbered. He was beauty. He
had just shed his old skin, and his
brown and gold markings shown as
bright as II they had been painted, and
from rattles to nose he glistened like
polished steel.
III don't know what put it into nv
head, but [ opened my creel. shook
down my trout so that there was con-
siderable space between them and the
LID, and covered them with ferns. Then
cOiled the rattlesnake ON the ferns as
naturally as / could, shut down the lid
of the basket and started back for camp.
During my absence visitors had come
to camp They were couple OF fisher
men from up 10 Wayne county, who had
run across US, on trip of their own.
When / entered the camp one of the
visitors started forward to meet me.
"'What luck?' said he
Look and see, said /, turning my
basket, still strapped to me, toward him.
He undid the fastening Of the lid
and jerked it open. He was an old woods
man, and probably had seen and killed
scores of rattlesnakes, but the unex.
pected sight Of that one, coiled there
among the ferns as II ready to strike,
actually paralyzed him with terror.
He stood for moment glaring wild
ly at the eoiled snake, and although in
that Z. oment he knew that the reptile
was dead. he turned pale and sick. and
tottered to the tent, where he Law ill all
night. II ever repented of anything
in my life it was of that thoughtless
bit OF practical joking. don't believe
the man / played 1t on ever really got
over the effects of that momentary ter.
ror, for know from that day to this he
has never gone trout fishing again.
New York Sun