The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-01-02

OcTl6IlC6 WllA tuS0O 1SFo ~
made n1e insensible to fear of them,
and worked up by the novelty of the
thing and the excitement OF seeing
so many of these powerful Destroy
ers subject to my will, | forgot al
about personal safety and kept ca
playing and enjoying myself
'!Once I stopped, and then began
angry rattling and quick disap..
pearance of many, but they subsided
and all came back as I resumed: l
gave them airs from the Bohemian
Girl varied with the Devils
Dream Mrs. McLeod's Reel and
The Girl l Left Behind Me- and
they readily responded with their
swaying heads to the different time.
But the tune that seemed to please
them most was the sSuwanee River,
and one big fellow in particular, ON
whom I counted twelve rattles, got
so excited that his leaps and twists
had brought him within few feet
of where I sat. Then he suddenly
quieted down and his head just
barely came down above his coil,
while his tail slowly ratified in time
with the music.
"Then I caught his gaze and, boys,
/ was fairly fascinated by the look
/ saw there. I believe this talk Of
snakes charming people to be all
fancy, but in the eyes of this rattler
that was fastened on mine there was
such wicked, cold, devilish, fiend-
ish stare that fairly shivered, and
moved my hand around to get my
pistol to take shot at him. Twas
sitting up now with my back almost
touching a small ridge of rocks
Still keeping my harp in my left
hand was on the point of pulling
my gun from the scabbard when a
low intense voice a few yards be-
hind me said:
"Don't move, Jim, for Gods sake,
and keep on playing. There's a big
rattler within six inches of your
neck and another close to your
hand. Keep on playing till the
boys come up. Pm all alone and
can't help you
II knew the voice to be that Of
my boss, Wallace, and from its
tones was in great danger, and for
a moment faltered, and in that
moment / could feel the cold body
of the snake as it came in contact
with my hand but, although l felt
like yelling and jumping up, knew
that would mean death, for quicker
than any living thing, excepting the
cat, is the movement Of a rattle
snake as it strikes.
$50 I sat still and kept on play
ing the 'Suwanee River where I
heartily wished l was. Every few
seconds-they seemed years to me
Wallace would whisper, Keep up
your nerve, old man, the boys are
almost here. There's lots of whisky
in camp if you're bitten, Dent
stop playing or you're q goner, and
other cheerful words, at which, Sc.
rious as the occasion was, | almost
felt like laughing, so wrought up
was I.
"Still I kept up the 'Suwanee
River Ny tongue got dry and my
lips almost refused to shape the
notes. On l kept until the 'Suwanee
River had run into perfect mud
die of extemporizing, the like of
which no one ever heard before from
mouth organ. tried to get back
onto some air I knew, but although
1 knew my life depended upon keep
ing the snakes quiet by the music,
l could not remember single thing
and had reached the state when all
l could bring out Of the harp was
the noise made as l drew and re-
PEELED my breath.
GAS the terrible discord reached
the snakes change came over them
and could see my big enemy in
front preparing to strike and heard
the one at my hand rattle ominous-
ly, when a low Now boys and .
report behind me came
and I saw the big one in front part
company with his head, and then I
tainted and knew nothing more till
I felt something red hot going down
my throat and came to to find my
head supported on Wallace's knee,
and one Of the boys pouring whisky
into me out of a pint cup, while
the bodies Of q half dozen snakes
lay wiggling close by.
"The fellow by my hand had bit
ten me, but as l drank about three
pints of ranch whisky the two pois-
ons had fight for it and whisky
came out ahead. I was sick for q
couple of days, but felt no other
bad effects from the bite. Here It
is on my thumb. have never tried
to charm any more rattlesnakes and
the sound Of the sSuwanee River
gives me the horrors.
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