The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-26
1T COST HIM $50.
To Find Out That Black Snakes Arc Fond OF
Wildcats.

10 f1nu Gut Ihat Black Snakes Arc Fond OF
Wildcats.
IF 1t hadn't been that thcrc was q
bounty of 50 II head on wildcats, then"
said -Unclc Joo Vondcrsmith of York
county, Pa, "it Wouldn't have cost mo n
cent to learn that black snakes were fond
of wildcats. AS wax, it cost me $50. But
s'posc tho knowledge 1 got was worth
tho price
II used to peddlo through the lower
counties and down through Maryland.
Those arc great districts for snakes, es-
pccially black snakes and coppcrhcads. It's
fun to SEQ folks doing their haying down
through there, especially when They're
loading 1t utter 1t is cut and cured. a man
will tako up forkful of dried grass, but
no won't pitch it on the wagon right
away. Hc gives 1t three or four peculiar
shakes to rattle tho snakes out of it. If
four or five copperhcads don't tumble out,
tho man ain't satisfied and gives tho hay
another shake It's worth going long
journey to 500 'cm load hay down there.
'Thoy never speak about big black
snakes In that country. There's no use of
1t, because there mint any little black
snakes AT least you never see ono I'M
less you call ono nino feet long q little
ono. They don't run much finer than
that. If ono Is killed smaller than that, 1t
Is totcd around rs n curiosity. 1t was In
that stretch Of territory that learned to
talk intolligcntly about the pnrtiality Of
black snakes for wildcats was driving
along ono day through scrubby pieoo of
woods near tho York county border, and
hearing II peculiar noise at tho side of tho
road 1 got out of my wagon to invcsti-
gate. In hollow stump 1 found nino
wildcat klttons almost rs big us full grown
house cats.
Ola! haH says Here's SIS for mo-
suro cnoughr
While L was busy appropriatlng the
scrambling and scratching young eats
out Of tho woods came the mother of tho
litter and made right for me. I put two
or thrcc pistol balls into her, and that
was all there was of tho fight
" Have TO call 1t $50 now Says, and
l tulnblcd the old cats carcass into the
wagon and put tho nine kittens in by her
They Struggled down ;is mock Us mice, and
/ started on feeling good.
Il had gone milo or so when hap
pcncd to look back along the road and
saw Il big black streak coming toward mo
liko hurricane l knew what it WAS In "A
second. 1t WAS one Of the famous black
snakes of that district put whip to nv
horse, thinking l might get away from
my pursucr, but didn't know the quail
ties Of those snakes. This ono closed up
tho space between us so fast that he was
almost Mt the hind wheels of my wagon
before my horse had run five rods
thought, of course, that the snake wanted
me, and quickly turned over in nv mind
what WIS best to be dono to save myself
Having often read of travellers pursued by
wolves tossing dogs and other things from
their slcds Us sops to the wolves, thus
ginning time and distance, happy
thought struck me- and grabbed "a Wild
cat Kitten and tossed it out to this snake
to SEQ how 1t would work 1t worked first
rate. Tho snake stopped. whipped I'D
my horse. Looking back, 1 saw the snake
getting ready to cnvclop tho kitten, and
thought was saved. But just then out
OF the woods at ono sido of tho roiul ,rhizzcsl
another black snake, as big us the first, and
went to climbing right up into the wagon.
grabbed another kitten and chuckod IL
out and had to groan u little, for 1t ,pos
another 50 contribution to snnkcs.
Then away 1 went again, hoping to
save tho rest of my prizo money. By and
by looked bucll to SEQ how tho land Law
1t wasn't laying at all. It was oil torn
up by four moro immense black snakes
which Tcru putting In their best ticks to
catch INC, not morc than 100 yards In the
rear. l threw another kitten out, sllppos-
ing tho four snakes would stop and have u
squabblo for 1t. But they didn't Ons
got it, and the other thrco caIne right on.
And more snnkc, canc out of tho woods
and joined in tho chase. I 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 aono
and l was SIS out
Il was pretty near out OF the woods by
this time l could SEQ tho clcarings right
ahead.
IN save the old dead cut, by gumr I
says, and clean up 50 out of this anyhow!
But l was ovcr.ailcd by II tremendous
big black snake before got to the end of
the woods, and I knew by the humps on
him that he had ut least two of the kit
tens inside of himself already had to
give up ahc old cat and went out of those
woods into the clearing a-humming.
looked back and saw tho whole caboollo of
snakes having grand old rough and
tumble over the body of the mother Wild
cat, but didn't stay to soc how 1t cAlno
out So found out by personal OBSERVE
tion that blnck snakes are fond of wildcats,
but it cost me $50. New York Sun.