The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-21
RATTLERs AS FOOD.
A Somewhat Disturbing Experience OF
the Great Staked Plains of Texas.

The rattlesnake of the plains is a
very dingy, short stocky fellow, broad
shouldered and stout to a degree en-
tirefy out of keeping with his length,
writes D. Q. in the Kansas City Star.
A specimen that has attained length
of thirty inches can be relied on to be
a third as much in waist measure.
l had heard of rattlesnakes as the
basis of banquets, but it never came
my way to make test but once. To-
gether with Mexican, / had achieved
that feat so much affected by the unter
riied tenderfoot of losing myself on
the Texas staked plains, somewhere in
the neighborhood of the South
Paloduro. Losing ones self on the
plains is no trivial matter, and l put
in five futile days going about on this
desert of green velvet before L found
myself.
Food got scarce on the second day,
as we were not ''grubbed'' for any such
antics, and on the third and fourth
matters took very gloomy hue. Water
was plenty, but the morning of the
fourth day witnessed the consumption
of the fag end of our provisions-a
can of tomatoes and some brown sugar.
All through that day we starved. Not
an object was in sight-nothing but the
interminable green plain which met
the sky in all directions.
On the fourth noon / sentenced Pete
to death. Pete was little villain of a
mule on the nigh lead" with whom
had had a personal alteration few
davs before, and the marks of whose
resentful heels l still bore. Pete should
die. l was getting very hungry, and
Pete looked appetizing. l fixed one
evening as the hour of his taking off
Pete's death sentence seemed to dis
turb the Mexican very much. Manuel
had always loved him, but after Pete
kicked me nearly to the door of death
this "greaser'' simply worshipped him
As soon as the situation began t.
threaten the mule Manuel had al
awakening. Before this he looked OF
starvation with apathy, but now h
began to think. He told me he coult
find food. He begged me to restrain
myself and not fall like fiend on poo
Amigo Pedro and destroy him. 1 tolC
him I would give him four hours il
which to save his long-eared friend
If food was not Forthcoming within
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by my hand.
We stopped the wagons, and, hobt
ling the other seven mules, turned ther
loose to Craze. Peter, the unhappy
was tied to wagon wheel to await hi
fate. Manuel saddled one of the ponie
and rode away, casting as he did S
some verbal encouragement to his foul
legged compadre, whose life he wa
working to save.
Three hours had elapsed whe
Manuel returned. He sat brightly
his saddle, nervous and elate. He ha
saved Amigo Pedro, so why should /
not be happyP What had he brougI
to eatP He proudly produced, at tt
end of his lariat, two rattlesnakes.
objected to the serpents, and ther
upon ensued a heated debate, durir
which Manuel shed tears of rage al
accused me of plotting Peters dea
from no higher ground than hate.
pointed out the meager meanness
rattlesnakes as a Wand. He declar
them succulent and nourishing dis
At last he insisted that they were qui
as toothsome as Peter, and there
had me. The reptiles were skim,
and dressed and l inspected them.
found their flesh white, firm and e
tirely in appearance like fish of t
same shape. There was considerat
more than I looked for, too, rs
snakeship is almost all flesh. Manu-
cut them into chops and outlets on t
principle that cooks adopt with ee
and fried them in the bake-kettle, fiji
giving them sort of parboil in watt
I ate them and found them equal
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