The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-14

sum. II ne uaO only haQ TINE ne WOuO
have disjointed himself like lizard
and lost the three-fourths of himself
until we were out of sight and hear,
ing"
They returned to the rendezvous and
found their two companions there. Oh
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.
81 will CO." he sighed, "but half OF
my snake will be gone when l return,
and am too old ever to hope to capture
another specimen alive" Reluctantly
the old man followed them, frequently
casting glance behind until they
were out of sight of the moss-covered
live-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 alive?" I 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. l would not trust a
dead moccasin. l have seen one with
its back broken creep up to 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.
One little reptile, some three feet in
length and about as large round as a
mans little finger, was mainly bright
vermihon; 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. 1t was turned over to him for safe
keeping and he was soon on amicable
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
were about to turn back and
try another road, when a negro boy of
about eighteen came in sight and said
he had seen snakes.
just then a large king snake was OBJ
served moving in the grass at the boy
feet, and several men sprang forward.
Don't hit UNI, Nasal exclaimed the
boy. Else brung him out ter catch
De ole man got de rune
tism. an snake lie is de hess ting in de
world fer um."
Suddenly behind an azalea bush some
yards ahead there was heard a sharp,
sound. Like fash the swift,
black body of the king snake darted
forward. There was a 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 brushed 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 the
stiffness. The rattlesnake coiled 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 straigbten his
neck, and at that instant the king
snake dashed across the folded coil.
Like a flash the rattlesnake struck at
its enemy, but sank it's fangs deep into
its own flesh. The angry reptile seemed
to realize that it had inflicted a 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 its massive
body slowly frightened it's folds until
the rattlesnake was powerless in its
hold. Then slowly exerting
the full force of its powerful muscles it
slowly CONSTRUCTED the other. There
was crunching sound as the body of
places.
Slowly slaekening its folds the king
snake prepared to swallow its late en-
envy head first, but the colored boy was
TOO quick for it and seized the prize for
The sake OF its oil.
1t was amusing to see his delight at
finding his glass snake whole and I'M
but his Joy was brief-lived,
Tor Cuffee, the colored youth, stretched
out his hand to stroke its CLASSY coat,
when two-thirds of the snake fell to the
ground. It had parted evenly. -Four
seemed to divide the body.
At these places the vertebrse were so
loosely joined that in moments of terror
he flesh parts. 1t is an extraordinary
provision of nature, and all were de-
'irous of seeing the parts join together
again, and for that purpose laid them
on the ground. but alas! the
chicken snake swallowed the rear por-
ion, and before they could cut him
open that part of the glass snake was
too mutilated to expect any reconcilia-
ion with the other This concluded
he days sport-N Y. World.