The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-21


bright and polished as glass. 1t was
perfectly round and as smooth to tho
touch as polished stone. The head was
: long and narrow and the eyes closed.
> The body bent sideways, but otherwise
was as rigid as stick of wood. The
professor carefully turned it over to OK.
amino the bright, yellow belly.
Its glass snake" he whispered, in
IN ecstasy of delight. "The first live
one have ever handled"
"But it is dead now" said the other.
The professor chuclkled Dead,
dead" he replied mot at all; he will
live many years with the care 1 will
bestow upon him. He is playing pos
sum. If he had only had time he would
have disjointed himself like lizard
and lost the threo-fourths of himself
until we were out of sight and hear
ing"
They returned to the rendezvous and
found their two companions there. Of
course they laughed at the professor for
the tender care he took of his treasure,
and against his vigorous protests laugh
ingly hung the speckled beauty on the
branch with the other victims of the
hunt. 1t was impossible to convince
the professor that his little pet was
dead, but at last he consented to leave
it long enough to join us in one more
hunt.
II will CO." he sighed, "but half of
my snake will be gone when I return,
and l am too old ever to hope to capture
another specimen alive" Reluctantly
the old man followed them, frequently
casting n glance behind until they
were out of sight of the moss-covered
Hve-oak. They did not go far before
encountering two or three lazy moe
casins summing their ugly brown bodies
by the side of the road. ''Kill them!"
shouted two voices in unison. They
were killed.
why not save one alivc?" 1 asked
the stranger.
Because If you did," was the reply,
''the chances are that you would get
bitten in the back of the leg when You
least expected it I would not trust
dead moccasin. have seen one with
its back broken creep up to a man and
try to bite him.
They succeeded in catching several
small snakes of the garter variety and
any quantity of grass snakes, which
were very common.
Vic ilICiC IcpCllc, SOIuC Cnrce 1ccC IN
length and about as large round as q
mans little finger, was mainly bright
vcrmilion; its velvet back was striped
with brilliant yellow and dotted with
black. Little white spots covered its
head and gave the appearance of a
thousand eyes. The professor gave it
long name and declared it was poison
GUS It was turned over to him for safe
I,0
terms with the Misunderstanding crea-
ture, which he declared bit only upon
severe provocation.
For nearly half an hour no snake
turned up This was unusual, and the
hunters were about to turn back and
try another road, when q negro boy of
about eighteen came in sight and said
he had seen snakes
Just then q large king snake was OBJ
served moving in the grass at the boys
feet, and several men sprang forward
Don't hit um. NASAL exclaimed the
boy Use brung him out ter catch
rattlesnake. De ole man got de rune
tism, an snake lie is de bess ting in de
world fer um."
Suddenly behind an azalea bush some
yards ahead there was heard sharp,
rafting sound. Like flash the swift,
black body of the king snake darted
forward. There was q sound of COM
motion in the bush, and an instant
later the dull brown length of an enor-
nous rattlesnake Slowly came into the
open roadway.
Like streak of black lightning the
king snake dashed by and as quickly
turned and brlshed across the rattler's
diamond-marked back. His venomous
antagonist sprang at his foe, only to
bury his fangs in the earth. Again the
tail shook and rafting broke tho
stiffness. The rattlesnal<e coilcd his
tail, moving nervously to and fro The
rafting was now continuous. Twice
the king snake moved rapidly in cir
Gle about his enemy, who followed it's
every movement by merely turning it's
head, but at the second round the rat
tier stopped as if to straighten his
neck, and at that instant the king
snake dashed across the folded coil.
Like flash the rattlesnake struck at
its enemy, but sank its faKgs deep into
its own flesh. The angry reptile seemed
to realize that it had inflicted death
wound upon itself, for it no longer
acted on the defensive, but took the Of
fensive. But the king snake was too
quick for its heavy antagonist and,
gliding out of the way, waited as
it sprang and waiting then until
the RATHER lay full length on
its belly after striking. Finally
the king snake sprang upon its enemy,
and twining itself about it's massive
body slowly frightened it's folds until
the rattlesnake was powerless in its
muscular hold Then SLOWLY exert;po