The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-30
HABITS OF SNAKES.
10y Often Jump at lntruders and
Endeavor to Charm Their
Prey.
bmo Experiences Of q Southern
Girl Raised Among the
Reptiles,
10 Learned = Good Dsal Of Them Ersm
AssoeiAtion-Tho Actual Process
Of Charming.

U&h
OF Charming.
IA the Philadelphia Times of June 70
ere ID an article taken from ths New York
mes, on the habits Of anakss and headed:
dany Foolish Beliefs about Them Are
kposed and Denied"
The writer of tho article says that snakes
not jump at people or birds, Mother do
o. charm their prey. Very many do not,
W 1 writer in tho New York Times, dated
atterson. La. but. ! hope he will pardon
.. there are many that do, both jump
id charm. Now, ! do not pretend 10 know
il precious little about the habits Of
lakes; / have never studied them except
ut long enough to kill one. But n
Used down here in this part Of Louisiana,
here those horrid reptiles grow almost as
ickly a. blackbsrriss. must Through asso-
alton acquire ! little knowledge Of them.
Several years & while three Of M were
mbling in the woods No entered . thlcket
oping 10 find therein q few dozen May pops
br apples), and az We turned to come out
. heard 9 rafting which We knew to be =
kttler's warning. Our frightened eyes
BON found him within ak inches of the
Ike il we ever got out, there being no
kher, and the thicket far too dense for our
eeble attempts to succeed in making one
] was the elder of three. and only II, and
ince I'd promised to protect the two little
mes / was determined to do 10. There
a. but one thing to do. We were cor
cred BY . horrid poisonous RATHER which
ad to bs killed before wo dared to try to get
ut. SO We made up our mind to DO bravs
nd try our skill.
I found 4 short stick near by with which
gave him 4 smars blow across his back,
[opinR to break it, after which Of course
. would be unable to move a foot, and We
ould kill him without danger. But the
orce of the blow from my weakened. trem-
ling arm was not great enough, and in his
niger and indignation at being bruised by
uch q little girl, he jumped several feet to-
yard me, and came down heavily on the
round. The two little girls with me
creamsd in IN unearthly manner n be-
an crying. Ny frightened heart was flut-
erinR too. but no tears dimmed my sieot.
which I needed, knowing as l did what the
ituation meant to us.
! told the two to dry their eyes at once
Ind help me. or we three would be killed. I
pinioned the snake TO the earth with al my
strength, and though he made dozens Of
strikes. the children beat him till he was
bead enough to suit us, Their we carried him
Put Of the thicket on a stick, and l chopped
bis head off with our hatchet and counted
eleven rattles and one button.
1t was a long distance homs and we
Usually stopped for a short rest, but not
that dav. Oh, no! there was perpetual
Dur brother doubted our adventure. but
was convinced when he found the hsadless
kattler where va had left him.
Several years after this 1 stood looking
ehrough q crack in the floor of an old house
ht a snake which q man was teazinR with q
broom handis through another craok. while
the snake made repeated strikes at the
stick and wiggled in the dust under the
house. When the man concluded to kill
snake, he walked down the steps and
{peeped under the gallery where he had left
the %rattler, and at sight OF his tormentor
the rattler made the greatest leap I have
Fever seen one make, and with Jaws wide
topen, showing the most fearful looking
Hangs l had ever seen. dashed for the man,
|fwho gave him a blow across the back which
Ebroke it. after which he was killed a. easily
as rattlers ever are. since they always mako
themselves very fiat and had 10 that it
takes many blows or a blade of some kind
Ito end it.
During the food of 1882, while out in a
Rpirogue, padding around for my own
pleusurs. a very small striped water snake,
(something like the Rarter), came swim
Eming by. He looked so proud and naughty.
with his head high up out of the water,
that l gave him q tap with the uAddle. He
Kissed, lot out his musk. and jumped foul
fleet (perhnps not quite SO far ut me. miss
ing the pirogue one inch, which just saved
me a lively fight. Handling my little craft
quite well. l soon shot it out of his way
and he gave up and turned back.
During that same high water I met a
black. snake one morning coming up the
J him, and he threw himself the length OF
himself up four steps at me.
H l know of several other instances where
4 the jump came in with f,ightful ca, nest.
ness, but the circumstance were pretty
much the same as those just mentioned, so
not worth while filling space'with.
/ Now as for their charming On powers
know but little. hut that little is quite
enough for me. | sat upon the top of :
new fence when ] was II years old and
l watched a large snake of some kind charm
| a hooking bird. The snake laid perfectly
still, save the wagging Of the tip end of hi
1 tail, and riveted his ewes on the bird. Ih<
sweet little songster skipped from side tc
side in front of the snake. but never NOV
ing his eyes from those of his enemy. Each
skip brought it nearer the horrid mouth
and though I hallooed at the bird, he heard
nothing, n in one-perhaps two-minutet
the sweet sonRster's little body was being
crushed in the jaws of that snake, where il
had gone itself, and in the same manner l saw
one charm and make away with Il spring
frog.
Aud this is not all. One morning, just
after drawing a bucket of water from tht
c~lstern, l felt that must look behind me,
and as ! did 80, I was shocked to see thu
largest snake l had ever seen lying onl,
about six feet away, half coiled. ~wrigglin1
his tongue and tail while his beadlike eyel
were piercing into me, 80 intense was tn.
Ruze. recovered from the sudden fright
and still watching the snake tried to reach
the steps, but could not move. l felt
little numbness creep over me that for
time deprived me of speech and power K
move even one finger. Ny head was turned
coward the snake and felt as if tied in tina
position, n thus l stood a few minute'
though it seemed longer.
Then the horror of the situation dawnet
upon me, j. e., | was being charmed, Will
great will power l ierked my head to tn,
right. made three strides for the door, ant
gave Il whoop such as would do credit to
wild Indian. An old negro ran up to SET
what was tho matter, and after a battl,
which lasted one hour, the old darky. will
his face heated with perspiration apda darl