Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-08-25
IT COST HIM $50.
To Find Out That Black Snakes Are Fond Of
Wildcats,

~ SOot I1lM Wv.
To Find Out That Black Snakes Are Fond Of
Wildcats.
''If 1t hadn't been that there was
bounty of 80 a head on wildcats, then,"
said Uncle Joe Vondersmith of York
county, Pa, "it wouldn't have cost me
cent to learn that black snakes were fond
of wildcats. AS it was, it cost me $40. But
I s'pose the knowledge got was worth
the price.
II used to peddle through the lower
counties and down through Maryland.
Those are great districts for snakes, es-
pecially black snakes and copperheads. It's
fun to see folks doing their haying down
through there, especially when they're
loading 1t after it is cut and cured A man
will take up a forkful of dried grass, but
he won't pitch it on the wagon right
away. He gives it three or four peculiar
shakes to rattle the snakes out Of it. II
four or five copperheads don't tumble out,
the man amt satisfied and gives the hay
another shake It's worth going long
journey to see 'em load hay down there.
"They never speak about big black
snakes in that country. There's no use Of
it, because there amt any little black
snakes. At least you never see one I'M
less you call one nine feet long little
one. They don't run much finer than
that. If one is killed smaller than that, it
is toted around as curiosity. It was In
that stretch of territory that 1 learned to
talk intelligently about the partiality Of
black snakes for wildcats. was driving
along one day through scrubby piece Of
woods near the York county border, and
hearing peculiar noise at the side of the
road got out of my wagon to investi-
gate. In hollow stump found nine
wildcat kittens almost as big as full grown
house cats
CHA! HAP says. Here's $1s for me,
sure enough'
while I was busy appropriating the
scrambling and scratching young cats
out of the woods came the mother of the
litter and made right fer me. I put two
or three pistol balls into her, and that
was all there was of the fight.
"'Have to call 1t $40 now says, and
/ tumbled the old cats carcass into the
wagon and put the nine kittens in by her.
They Struggled down as meek as mice, and
started on feeling good.
II had gone mile or SO when hap
pened to look back along the road and
saw big black streak coming toward me
like hurricane. knew what it was In q
second. 1t was one Of the famous black
snakes of that district. Iput whip to my
horse, thinking might get away from
my pursuer, but I didn't know the quail
ties of those snakes. This one closed up
the space between us so fast that he was
~, ot tho j,,6 1xyhoo Of
before my horse had run five rods.
thought, Of course, that the snake wanted
me, and Iquickly turned over in my mind
what was best to be done to save myself
Having often read Of travellers pursued by
wolves tossing dogs and other things from
their sleds as sops to the wolves, thus
gaining time and distance, a happy
thought struck me, and grabbed wild
cat kitten and tossed it out to this snake
to see how it would work. 1t worked first
rate. The snake stopped. Whipped up
my horse. Looking back, saw the snake
getting ready to envelop the kitten, and
thought was saved. But just then out
of the woods at one side of the road whizzed
another black snake, as big as the first, and
went to climbing right up into the wagon.
grabbed another kitten and chucked 1t
out and had to groan a little, for 1t was
another 50 contribution to snakes.
''Then away went again, hoping to
save the rest Of my prize money. BY and
by looked back to see how the land lay.
1t wasn't laying at all. 1t was all torn
up by four more immense black snakes,
which were putting in their best ticks to
catch me, not more than 100 yards in the
roor T %broxx, opothor kittan ont c11ppoc-
ing the four snakes would stop and have a
squabble for it. But they didn't. One
got it, and the other three came right on.
And more snakes came out of the woods
and joined in the chase. saw it was no
use, and so stood up, my horse going at
full jump, and fed those snakes wildcat
kittens until the whole nine were gone
and I was $18 out.
II was pretty near out Of the woods by
this time. could see the clearings right
ahead.
"'I'll save the old dead cat, by gum!
says, and clean up 80 out of this anyhow
''But was overhauled by tremendous
big black snake before got to the end OF
the woods, and knew by the humps on
him that he had at least two of the kit
tens inside of himself already. had to
give up the old cat and went out Of those
woods into the clearing a-humming.
looked back and saw the whole caboodle Of
snakes having grand old rough and
tumble over the body of the mother wild
cat, but I didn stay to see how it came
out So found out by personal observa
ton that black snakes are fond of wildcats
but it cost me $40. New York Sun.