The Republican., 1893-02-23
GREAT ELEPHANT SNAKES.
On~ of Uncle Ike's True stories of n III
Reptile of Bygone Days.

One of Uncle Ike's True Stories of Big
Reptile of Bygone Days.
30, shucksr' -
whats wrong now, uncle?'
The old man laid down his paper and
looked at me-
did you ever see a rattlesnake that
would jump twicet its len'th?"
why, no." admitted.
Ever seen one 'twould jump up an
bite man OF hoss?"
NO"
Ever seen one that'd chase a feller
fer a mile?"
Certainly not"
''Ncr nobody else never did neither.
A rattlesnake CANT bite only when it's
keviled up, an then it CANT reach
MORN foot"
''Who has been slandering the
snakes?" | inquired.
'Why, this here newspaper. / don't
mind hearin' a extra extravygant yarn
eff its tole fer n yarn, but a feiler orn't
to tell a lie an swear it's the truth"
You ought to know something about
snakes, uncle?"
but they hain't no sich snakes here as
they uset 10 be"
What kind were they and what be-
came of them?"
They was elephant snakes. / reckin
men Tom King killed the last one in
this part of Arkansas more'n forty year
ago. Say, them 'uz big snalzesv'
How big?"
"Now, looky here! Tom Kings dead,
an l han't got nary single witness to
that elephant snake"
You don't need any, uncle I'm will
ing to take your word as gospel truth" p"
We'll, hit is the gospel truth; though
my own wife didn't believe it when |
told her, an han't told nobody sense,
though don't mind tellin' you"
me an Tom was huntin' board tim
Der on the Sugar Loaf mountain one
day an we come to a path that was
worn down deep an slick in the noun
tain side
Says Tom, what on airth made this
trail?"
Says I, blessed if know; but here's
some spankin' good timber
''rhe tree was about thirty foot from
the path, an was apurty piece O. tim
Der as l ever laid eyes on.
1--WE commenced cuttin' it to fall
acrost the path, an jist as Is givin the
last licls on my side heerd Toms teeth
chatterin' together.
"Great Scottr he said, loolSin' up
the hill.
81 looked an seen a elephant snake
comm down the path, with his head
about six feet above the ground, slidin
along as if he didn't see us.
lies fall the tree on him. sez /, in
a whisper.
"'All right sez he.
"When the snake got feminist us
gin two or three licks with the AK and
the tree commenced crackin.
"The snake stopped when he heerd
the noise an looked torze us He bowed
his neck an commenced hissin' and
blowin'. l swan, the noise sounded like
hurricane in the trees an the snake
breath blowed our hats off N come as
nigh as peace blown the tree right
back onto us Itswung uncertain fer a
mint and then fell smack acrost the
snakes back.
"He commenced thrashin' round in
the tree top an the bresh fairly flew.
thought 'oncet he was goin' to get it
loose, but soon seed that a big limb had
broke off an stuck right through his
body, pinin' him tight an fast to the
groun'.
"Well, sir. shores you born, that
snake heaved an set an squirmed tel
he drug the whole tree twenty foot
from where it fell, with them broke
limbs a-plowin' up the groun' foot
deep. Finally be got lodgeu agin an
other tree an laid quiet tel we chopped
his head off with our axes"
How big was he, uncle?" inquired,
with as much calmness as could as
| sumo.
well, he want very big-not so
offul big fer a elephant snake. They
uset to be a heap bigger ones that the
old settlers tole about when | was a
boy. I've no doubt some on 'em was
twicet as big as this'n; but ! hain't
going to tell no lie jSs' to have extry
big yarn. The one we killed was about
a foot an half through, an jist few
inches short o siXty-one foot long,
Chicago Times.
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