Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-13
WHERE RATTLEsNAKES THRIVE.
A Prospector's Tale of a Trip Through q
Gulch in the Madre Chain.

WHERE RATTlESNAKES 1HRtvE.
a Prospector's Tale of a Trip Through
tsulch in the Madre Chain.
s'Talkine about snakes" said griz-
zled old prospector in Tucson to party
Of eastern tourists, you fellows ought
to go down here in the Madre noun
tains, near the Mexican line, and you'd
see snakes. You see, not many miners
and prospectors go in the Madre, De-
cause there is almost nothing In our
line there, although you do hear stories
about wonderful mines and gold and
silver piled mp in stacks when the old
Mexicans abandoned the diggins. but
all the gold there is about it is in the
ears of the man who believes such
stuff. Besides, If they do go they are
most eternally glad to get out again it
they have the good luck not to be
bitten by the rattlers- Why. the
average RATHER in the Madre
chain is seven or eight feet
long, and there are lots of 'em good
deal bigger than that. The stupid lit
tie reptiles that go by the name up in
Utah and Colorado aren't in it with
their Mexican brethren when you get
to talking about snakes. I have been
there, and you bet 1 know what l am
talking about.
''Three years ago Jack McQuade and
1 were prospecting together. and we
got a tip on the quiet that there were
some rich finds over near Colquiton, a
little Mexican town about one hundred
and seventy-five miles from here. So
we went, but didn't get track of any
thing worth very much, although two
or three fellows made their pile. Final
ly, left Jack there and came back,
and I made up my mind to come
through the Madre. The boys told me
hadn't better try it, but I did, and
I am not hankering after any more
trips of the kind. l had two burros
and got along all right, and didn't
see anything extraordinary until l had
gotten fairly into the range, when one
morning I was riding down a ravine
that would let me out at the base Of a
big peak which l would go around.
At the further side there ought to be
some of the headwaters of the Males
kyne, as the Indians call little noun
tain river that runs out on the plain
and loses itself in the sand, and then
for the rest of the way it would be all
plain sailing. Well, I was riding along
down, smoking and leading one of the
burros behind, when 1 noticed two
rattlers right in front. Iwent around
them and they raised up and ratified
like basket of eggs. But / don't
mind little thing like that. Pretty
soon saw some more. and then they
seemed, all the rest of the way down,
to increase and multiply with the most
astonishing rapidity. Luckily the
bottom of the guIch was wide enough,
SO that we got by 'em all right: but if
those donks weren't scarf! I never saw
the stupid little brutes so much alive
as they were then, and just as we came
to the mouth of the gorge it narrowed
UP and the snakes were Just as thick as
ever. There was no other way of get
ting out, so 1 hit the donks and we
went through like house afre. At
one place we shook lot of rock loose,
and big bunch of snakes rolled down
under the very feet of the burros. 1
needn't tell you we didn't stop till we
got outside, where there was plenty OF
room.
Before could stop the little beasts
we nearly ran over couple of Next
cans, who were almost frightened out
of their wits. They must have thought
was a ghost to come though the
Snake gulch. as they called the
place, unscathed. But what was
the most curious thing about the whole
matter was that the Greasers camped
right there and caught snakes and fried
the oil out for the eastern patent medi-
cine market. It seems there is quite a
demand for the oil among a certain
class. The camp was raised up on
posts out of the way of snakes The
snakes were caught by means of a steel
fork on long pole, which they used
to pin the rattler's head to the ground.
The snake was helpless then. and with
a small Ratchet they cut off its head,
and hung the body on stick fastened
across the back of burro: When a
donkey load had been killed they were
taken to place where the SUMS rays
in the afternoon beat down against
wall of rock and made it
hot enough to roast eggs. Here |
they slit the reptile and hung him up
on wooden frame with a pan under |
meath to catch the slowly dripping oil.
A good fat snake worlld furnish quart.
The stencil about the place was some !
thing that no words can convey an idea
of, but the Greasers didn't seem to mind |
it much. The rock in the gulch was a
shelving. scalv formation, that was full |
of holes and crannies, and at the mouth |
was sort OF mountain meadow. end |
ing in i11arshy slough and full of frogs |
and vernin of every description, and on
these the snakes subsisted- The Next |
cans had bonanza there, but I don't !
want any of it. / went away the next
day and never want to &C. back again."
N. Y. Sun.
THE ELEPHANT IN WAR.