Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-09-20
THE BIG SERGEANT.
He Was Saved from the Snake, but Toe
Late, After All.

Late, After All.
bout ten o'clock in the forenoon the
big sergeant returned from his trip
across the creek and lay down on his
blankets in the October sun to have a
smoke, and for half an hour he kept up
a conversation with the three or four
of us who were sitting about as we
cleaned our guns or mcnded our cloth
ing. BY and by his pipe fell from his
lips, and he slept We continued to
talk, but in lower tones, as it is the
rule of the camp. He may have slept
twenty minutes when | was about to
start up. Instinctively or unconscious
ly, | glanced at the man on the
blankets and almost screamed out in
terror.
Ten feet from his head was a sage
bush, with mat of grass about its
roots. A monster rattlesnake had
crawled from this bush and curled it.
self up on the blankets directly beside
the sergeants left arm. There was not
more than an inch of space between the
serpent and arm. Man and serpent
both slept in the sunshine, 1t was
couple of minutes before | could silent
ly attract the attention of the others,
but when that had been accomplished
we began crawling softly away. Quiet
" as we moved, the snake was alarmed
and reared its head and flashed its
tongue, but did not sound its rattles.
When we were thirty feet away we
counseled in whispers as to what we
should do. Let the big sergeant but
move hand or foot and the snake would
strike with the swiftness of Lightning.
A waking man, fully realizing his peril,
might gather himself for sudden roll
to the right, but he would not even
dare to draw breath or move finger.
The other men were across the creek
and a half mile away, and the sound
of their voices barely reached us.
We could think of but one way to
do. "One of us must creep up to the
sergeants right side, whisper his peril
in his ear, and then rest the muzzle of
a carbine across his body and blow the
snake clear away with the bullet. The
big sergeant was man of nerve, but
could he be aroused without an alarm?
His hat was pulled down over his face
until we could only see the point of his
chin.
Only twelve yards to creep, and yet
it seemed that the man would never
finish his journey. He must be doubly
careful A noise which might not reach
the serpent's ear might arouse the sol
der TO have him touched before
whispering in his ear would have been
to rouse him up. When O'Mallon finally
bent forward our excitement was so
great that we turned our faces away.
"Sergeant!' he whispered, after soft
hiss sergeant wake up!''
The sergeant moved his right hand
to show that he understood
There's a snake on your blanket"
The hand moved again.
"Tm going to rest the gun on your
body and blow the life out of him! No
need of your jumping up after fire,
because he'll be a dead snalIe!"
Once more the hand.
1t seemed to take the man long
minute to get his carbine in position.
When he finally pulled the trigger, the
snake was cut in two and blown dis
lance Of ten feet, but for a couple of
minutes the eyes glittered, the tongue
darted in and out, and the fangs were
stuck into the grass The sergeant did
not move. We ran to him and uncov-
cred his face, His eyes were open, his
jaw down, and the sunburn on his face
had been replaced by the pallor of
death. We shook him by the hand and
congratulated him and sought to arouse
him, but he simply looked at us in a won
dering, stupid way and at the end of ten
minutes sank down and began weep
ing. An hour later he told us that he
had scented the snake and knew his
danger before we moved to aid him.
From that hour and day the big SER
gcant was as helpless as a child. They
sent him away on furlough, but he
came back wreck and was discharged
from the service to die before spring.
He had defied death by shot and shell
and lnllet and arrow hundred times,
but when death came gliding out of
the grass and coiled up beside him to
sleep the fear of it broke him down
and made him human wreck.-N. Y.
| Recorder.