The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-20

the usual number. The worst adventure
of my life was with these same Michigan
rattlers while / was shooting woodcock,
and, though it was ten years ago, nave
never since had the courage to venture
into a bit of marshland cover, much as l
like cunning.
at was in a hundred-acre stretch OF bot
tom that Law to the west of little settle
ment called Green oak, in the bend OF
the Huron river. An old backswoodsman
named Fred Hinderman, was along with
me- and we We're shooting over DIG
LavaraclI setter named Pete, an abso-
lutely perfectly broken dog with perfect
nose. We had been out all the morning
and had made a big bag, and on Hinder
mans advice had stopped for our MONDAY
snack by a spring in the center of heavy
sumach growth. While we were eating,
Pete, who could never endure TO rest
unless utterly tagged out, was coursine
through the brush to our right Arounl
the spring lay a loose pile of small boul'
ders, half covered by running wild grape
vines All at once we heard the dog give
q shriI yelp, and he came limptng toward
us from the bushes. He stopped at every
other step to lick and bite his left fore
paw and whine.
rnuttered the old man, and then he held
up his hand. What's that? Was 1t q
RATHER?
II listened and heard that unmistaka-
| BILE grating, hatchet-like noise that one
never forgets, and then jumped for rock
| That one rattle was followed by Volley
! of louder and nearer rattles. The rocks
! beneath our feet seemed suddenly alive
with sound Then the heads began to
! appear from the crevices, and in what
| seemed to be a second there were more
| than fifty massasaugas around US, coiled
| and ready to spring was for blazing
| away at the rascas as long as our car
tridges held out, but old Hinderman yelled
| to me not to fire.
"'Ef yer shoot yen -ony shoot onct
said he. fur some of these cusses IL jumT
! fur yer back. Wait tell Pete makes Ell
| to git out; en- then scatter behind him for
! all yere worth
In less than five minutes after III
! seemed like five days-Pete made dash
| for the brush, his yellow and white jacket
vanishing like a shadow. The backwoods
| man was a close second despite his years
and rheumatism, and pushed him hard
| though running is not one of my accom-
! plishments / heard the rattles buzz or
! both sides as we broke out of that little
/ glade but never noticed that l was bit
ten till we reached the cabin.
q" 'Gawdermighty en- tarnel condemns
! tom yelled Fred, as 1 took off one of my
| stockings to put on dry ones, and he
caught sight of a spot OF blood. AFTER all
! they got yerr
That paralyzed me. for knew IT was
pretty late TO begin with remedies, and
when the old fellow found a tiny pefora
ton from which blood was oozing
tainted away. When ] came to, my heaC
felt as big as a watermelon, and seemed
| literally on fire.
Water! ] gasped when the old mar
! came over to me to see how ] was.
Water be hanged to yer he replied
and, holding a stone jug to my lips h'
poured down a cupful Of raw whiskey be
fore I could choke him off. All night Ions
he pumped that stuff into me, and the mex
day ! lay like a log, sleeping Off the biz
drunk. Pete, the dog, died the second day
mo, sir" concluded the drummer, open
/ ing his grlpsack and producing big flask
which he passed around as preventativ,
against any future snake bites, Il neye
want to crowd up against another GROVE
! OF Michigan snakes"