The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-01

and had finished the work and were re-
turning, and had reached the place l have
described. The region seemed to be
wholly wholly given o,n over to the oc Gu
owls and rattlesnakes, l never saw so
many snakes anywhere except in the
swamps of Louisiana during an overflow.
You could see them crawling about in all
directions, and they were constantly
springing their rattles in the grass under
foot, and frightening our horses, for you
know horse fears these creatures quite
as much as man does.
In riding along | happened to see par
ticularly large RATHER summing himself on
a spot of bare ground, and tried to ride
up near enough to strike him with my
quirt. But my horse was afraid, and
could not make him approach the snake.
| did not blame him very much, either,
for the old Crotalus threw himself into a
coil, raised his head, sounded his rattle,
and prepared to assume the offensive as
soon as he saw US.
Finding that | could not Freach him
with my short quirt, / rode over to one of
the wagons and got from the driver his
long four-in-hand whip, and with this
returned TO the snake. / found him about
where | had left him, and when he saw
me he tried TO run away. They are slug
gish creatures, however, and cannot go
very fast.
l had a fancy to tease him a little, and
| swung the whip so that the end of the
lash in falling would tap him gently on
the nose. AS soon as he felt it, he snapped
back like a watch spring into a coil,
sounded his war note, and turned his head
quickly from side to side to discover his
enemy, his forked tongue darting inces-
sanity from his mouth
| was some twenty or thirty feet away
DO. aaVnrr g.s.Ns, i
appear TO notice me at all. | fancy their
range of vision must be very short AT
ter few minutes he lowered his ugly
head TO the ground and prepared TO
glide away in another direction. | let
him get fairly started. then tapped him
as before, and again he coiled TO strike.
This was repeated a number of times.
The snake always started away in a new
direction, only to meet that uncomforta-
Bile and exasperating little tap. After
each stroke he would prepare to fight
and would look in vain for his assailant;
and with each encounter his anger
seemed to increase
At last, having tried unsuccessfully
every avenue of escape, ne became besides
himself with rage His rattle buzzed inces-
sanity. He raised his head nearly half his
length above the ground and swayed from
side to side. His eyes glittered like jewels,
and his forked tongue flashed from his
mouth like miniature lightning. His
head became broad and fiat, and his
whole body seemed TO swell with venom.
Suddenly, in an access Of fury, he
turned his head, ana with the full force
of a swinging blow Of his neck, like the
down stroke of saber he drove his
fangs into his own body. He kept his
hold and did not withdraw his fangs. His
body writhed and twisted for an instant,
and his muscles contracted violently once
or twice. Then his head sank down, the
fire faded from his eyes, his coils relaxed
and he was dead.
| was astonished. l did not think it
was possible that the poison could be so
instantly effective in a creature of such
sluggish circulation.
There can be no mistake about it; he
meant to kill himself, and he did it, too.
OF the last | have the most satisfactory
proof for as picked him up and exam
ined him carefully from one end to the
other, there was not a mark Save the
bite or a bruise on him. The light
strokes that he had received from the
whip were not enough 10 hurt him, still
less to kill him, yet he was dead, for |
put him in my saddleba and carried him
10 camp, and then skinned MIN, and | am
sure he could not play possum through
all that.
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