The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-09
DEATH LURKBD THERE IN AMBUSH.
Testing therTradition OF Rsttiesnake Spring
In the Sierra del DiRblo.

AebNtnk INCL Y "
In the Sierra del Dinbio.
III there Is any one in the world who knows
how 1t feels to be snatched from the jaws of
death, l am that person. said a New Yorker who
has been about the world q bit. THAT by no
means enviable or enjoyable sensation came to
me in Texas; and. by the way, 1t seems to me
that II / were going TO make acurious and varied
collection OF snakes. venomous and Don-veno-
nous, I wouldn't fool away any time elsewhere,
but would take the first train for Texas. ] am rot
in the snake business myself. but during my
journeyings In Texas I became involuntarily as
familiar with n lot OF assorted serpents as though
I had been a hard and invcterate consumer of
the popular beverage with which many OF the
natives indulge themselves down there.
Butt only care to speak Of one particular ex-
perience Of mine with q Texas snake. This was
o specimen of the ordinary rattlesnake that
fourishes on the Texas plains. l made my first
acquaintance with this interesting and cheerful
reptile at the time the Texas Pacific Railroad
was being located through Ell Paso county. l
was with the engineer corps that did the locat-
ing. Somewhere between the foothills Of the
Sierra del Diablo and the spot where We had our
camp just then, there was a famous spring Of
cold and crystal water. II was called the Rat
tlesnake Spring, because of the tradition, firmly
believed In by the natives, that two big rattle
snakes were for some reason constantly on
guard there. The water of the spring was
alleged to have wonderful medicinal proper
ties. but IL was death to any one who at
tempted to drink of II unless he first slew the
two rattlesnskes, for, as the legend ran. the
moment he stopped TO quaff the water one or
both OF the deadly guardians of the spring would
strike him from their place of concealment and
fill him with their fatal virus.
"Thata rancher had once been found lying
daaA with hfa face Mt tho surfnpe NJ Tho spriny
where he had evidently lain down TO quench his
thirst, two purple incisions in his temple and his
bloated body showing beyond question that he
had been struck by a rattlesnakc while lying in
that position. was a well-authenticated story In
Paso county, and the snake that had bitten
him was killed In the rocks by the person who
om nStill l.I ! had my nyh d91hts that i,r a; any ,yyS Of these ,sseS ven n,
thirsty roamers. and one sunday / resolved to
go TO the spring 70 investigate; ! strolled in tho
direction OF the Sierra del Diablo, whose gleam-
ing peaks and rocky front were apparently not
more than a rifle shot distant, so clean cut did they
stand out against the clear, blue sky; but they
on nv tourney, for the sufficient reason that no
one would 30 with me.
the foothills, In a rocky basin. and the water
came up from the white sand in cool and tempt
ENG ense v OF rsstle.naf ss% a l4 o slsR the Ss s shs nTsdi.
isEs. / was hot and thirsty, and after a
and scrubby bushes around the spring | was
satisfied that II that water was under the guar
bly, thirsty. i believe I.shouid come away with
a tramp OF six miles back over the hot and bar
rem plain that lay between me and camp, return
thought o. and | prepared to lie dow" W. ON the eq rock
At one side OF the spring, just where they had
found The dead and swollen rnnchman. sup
water that ! could. see myself and everything
about me reflected In the crystal depths as dis
tincty as II | had been gazing upon a French
at is well for me that these reflections were
Ing. Suddenly something that / first thought
Ssitated by the brisk breeze that Was Blowing,
shot back and forth, thrown into deep outline
gszed nv heat turned TO cold and my thirst was
forgotten. The swift-mOying, Quivering refiec-
ti9n ! had thought was a twig or tendTil was the
a snake, rs II shot back and forth from beneath
a shelving rock which, seen from above, hid
ice beneath that sheltering rock. not two feet
from one side OF my head, and with part OF its
enormOus rattlesnake. ready to strike.
tor an instant seemed paralyzed, but know
be death 10 me. ! ducked nv head clear 10 my
shoulders beneath the water, the position | was
in making il impossible for me TO rise quick
enough 70 escaDe the danger. As | duckrd / felt
the snakes strike. wore a heavy widc-col-
Jared tannel shirt. The snakes fangs struck
the shirt near the lower edge Of the collar, not
an inch away from my %tu.ular. The instant
ielt the strike sprana 10 my feet; The hooked
fanGs OF the reptile were last in the texture OF
the collar. and As got tn my feet ! raised the
RATHER with me, It's long body squirmed ard
contorted along my side and clear 10 my feet.
y drew. my revolver as quickly as | could,
and, placing the muzzle against the reptiles
mead; blew II 70 pieces, The limp body Of the
reptile fell 10 tbs, ground, but not much quicker
than | fell myself.
IThsrs seemed no more life in me than there
kot slrength ana nerve ~ get on my feet again.
when i had recovered sufficiently straight
sned the dead snake out. With its head gone
y measured two good PAGES long not an
inch less than six feet. IL had sixteen
%Tattles, which | took as a trophy and
have to-day. ] don't know whether THIS WAS
one OF the two alleged rattlesnake guardians 81
the spring or not, for | spent no time looking for
another one; Neither had I the nerve 10 try
again for a drink at the spring. but got away
from there as soon as | could.
wen reached camp | was about as nearly
as any man ever was who got over II,
ana there Is any one in tile world who knows
now u feels, TO be saved at the very Jaws OF
death ! am that person"