The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-21
DE1TH ~ iMBU sH.
estInr tho Tradition OF Rnttlesnak

|
| sprinC.
| ..Tf t5cre Is any one IN the world who
knows how it feels TO be suatched from
| the jaws of death / am that person.
| said a New Yorker, who had been about
| the world a bit, according 10 me Gun
! "'That by no means enyidbie or eHJoydbie
| sensation came to me IN Texas; anu, Dy
! the Wav, IL seems to me mat il were
| going TO make curious ana varied co.Iec-
! ZION OF snake veuomOus ana nOu-yeno
| nous / wouldn't fool away any u!!ie
| -l5CNncrc. Dut take uIr hLat udiL ~
| Texas. l am not IN the snake business
myself, but during my Journey mss IL
| Texas | became Involuntary as iamiHar
| with lot of assorted seIpents as thouEh
| had been a hard and lnVcteIate con
sumner OF the popular beverage VIII "i I..
many OF the natives indulge themselves
! down there
But [ only care to speak Of one par
| ticular experience Of mine with IeNi.S
snake. This was a specimen or the ot4'"
nary rattleSnakc that HOuTlshes on me
Texas plains. 1 made my hrat aGiuaA,
lance with this interesting and cneeIluI
reptile at the time the ieMds / SC'I IN
| railroad was being located through III
PasO county. / was with the engineer
corps that did the locating. SomeWheTe
between the foothills Of the sierra ueI
Diahio and the spot where we had our
camp Just then, there was a FAMOUS
spring of cold and crystal water. II was
called the Rattesnakc spring, because OF
the tradition, firmly believed IN by me
natives. that two big rattlesnakes were
constantly on guard there. The water
Of the spring was alleged 70 nave Won
derfui medicinal properties, but IL was
death TO any one who attempted 10 drink
OF il unless ne first slew the two rattle
snakes. for, as the legend ran, the mo-
ment he stopped 20 quait the water one
or both Of the deadly guardians OF the
spring would strike HIM from their place
OF concealment and ill him with their
fatal virus.
lying dead with his face at the surface or
down 10 quench his thirst, two purple
missions IN his temple aut his bloate1
body showing beyond question that ne
had been struck by rattesnake WINE
living IN that position. was well anthem
tfc3tcd story in III PaSo county, and the
enake that had bitten him was killed IN
the rocks by the person Who haa discover
"Stm had my doubts that any Of the
yeuomOus reptiles habitually lay IN wait
there for thirsty roamerS, ana one gun
d9y resolved TO go 10 le EdIr,ing5 Of Of
the Sierra del Diablo who's" cleaning
peaks and rocky front were Apparently
NOT more than a rifle ShOt distant. so
clean cut did they stand out against tIc
clear. blue sky; but they were a gool
ten miles from camp. | Went alone on
my Journey, for the sufficient reason thaJ
no one would 30 with me.
from the foothills, i'm a rocky basin ana
The water came mp I'm cool ana tempting
volume. / saw no sign OF the presence
Of rattlcsnakcS, although the surround
ings looked snaky enough, and no ms
10 / was hot and thirsty. and after
close and careful scrutiny Of all the rocks
and scrubbv bushes around the Sprlng, l
vas satisfied that if the water was under
tTa Guardianship Of rattlcsnakes they
rnust have gone off duty for that daY.
Vet. IL / hadn't been so terribly thirsty,
I believe | should nave como away win
ont irving the water. all the same; but
as il was a tramp Of six miles back over
the hot and barren plain, 10 return with
out ouenching my thirst was not 10 be
thought Of and / prepared to lie down
ON the rock at one side Of the spring.
INST whe they had found the dead ard
swollen ranchman. / suppose. I brought
my face so close 20 the water mat !
could see myself and everything about me
reflected I'm the crystal depths as distinct
ly as If ! had been gazing upon French
plate mirror
1T is well for me that these rehec-
tons were so intense and vivid. for !
paused a moment TO gaze into the spring
AZ the remarkable mirroring. Suddenly
something that ! first thought was the
reflection Of a nodting twig or tendr1,
agitated by the brisk breeze that was
blowing shot back and forth thrown into
deep outline by the snowy bottow of the
spring But as ! CaZed my heart turned
to cold and my thirst was forgotten. The
swift moving, quiyerlnS reflection had !
thought was tWig or tendr4l was the |
mirr0rel reflection ~ the long and FORK |
ed tongue OF snake, as II shot back |
and forth from beneath q shelving rock, !
which, seen from above, Md the lurking /
danger from view. Coiled In crevice |
beneath that sheltering rock. not two !
feet from one side Of my head, and /
with part Of IT'S own frightful front visi- |
bic by reflection. was an enormous rattle |
snake ready 10 strike
For an instant | seemed paralyZed, but !
knowing that another instant's delay |
would probably be death To me, l ducked |
my head clear to my shoulders beneath
the water. the position | was in making /
il impossible for me TO rise quick enough |
10 escape the danger. AS | ducked felt |
the snakes strike. | wore heavy wide
coilared flannel shirt. The snakes iahgs
struck the shirt near the lower edge %
the collar not an inch away from my
juguar. The instant ! felt the strike ]
sprang TO my feet. The hooked tangs
Of the collar. and as i got to my feet
raised the rather with me. Its long body
,quirmed and contorted along my side
and clear to my feet.
l drew nv revolver as quickly as |
,ouid. and placing the muZZle against the
entities head. blew IL TO pieces. The limp
,odv of the reptile fell to the around but
Tot much quicker than l fell myself.
There seemd no more lie IN me man
here is in dishrag. 1t was a good
While before | got strength and nerve
.nough to get on my feet again. When |
lad recovered sufiicientlv'I Strengthened
he dead snake out. With its head gone
measured two good PAGES long-not an
nch less than six feet. 1t had sixteen
attIes, which I took as trophy aud have
o-day ! don't know whether this was
me OF the two alleged rattesnake guar
ans Of the spring or not for / spent no
me looking for ano,her one. Neither
ad / nerve To try again for a drink az
ne spring. but got away from there as
Don as / could.
when / reached camp l was about as
early famished as any man ever was
gho got over 1t. and IL there is any one
n the world who knows how II feels to
Q saved at the very jaws Of death l am
hat nAraon."