The Progress., 1895-01-12
HELD lTP BY SHAKES.
AN ARMY ENGINEERS EXCITING NIGHT
IN TIE NORTHWEST.

AN AKIN lNNlfCEf , ENOi J 'iNG 'H'G'''
IN THE NORTHWEST. {
4 Walking Stick That Had Nineteen E'!t'
tles-Roosting on Eowldcr and Sur
rounded by T'olyes-A Buzzing Noise
That Is Far From Musical.
I'VE reached the Wolf mountain, in
the Bi,: Horn country, one day i'll Sep
tember,' said II. P. Tuttlc formerly al
army engineer, ''while 70 the south We're
dimly visible the outlines of the Rattle. /
snake mountains. These names were
given tD these mountains by both tho
Crow and Sioux Indians, who regarded
them with horror Late on the afternoon
of our first day in these mountains |
sent all Of my party to camp, about two
miles to the southwest. Going forward
with my transit to where | had sent my
head fagman, IpIaccd it i'll position and
told him he could return to camp, as |
had to remain in order to make All as
Economical observation early in the even
ing.
Taking off his belt, which held a
huge revolver and a sheath knife about
foot in length, he handed it to me.
saying that | might need it after dark,
as he had just seen a small pack OF
wolves ahead. After he had gone look
ed over the ground about me and saw
that I was on a fiat topped hill covered
with large powders and small stones,
but entirely destitute of vegetation.
Seating myself beside big bowlder, !
took out my notebook and began writing
up my notes for the day, when darkness
suddenly reminded ne that it was about
time to make my astronomical obscrva-
tons This was soon over, and started
off at brisk walk toward our camp
"Ihad not gone over hundred yards
when saw, "a few feet ahead of me,
long, black object lying directly i'll my
path. | wanted a walking stick badly,
and was stopping down to pick it up
when I noticed the end Of it farthest
from me was white. Taking match
from my pocket and tearing a leaf from
the back of my notebook, I soon had
the desired light and what was my hor-
ror to see that the supposed stick was
nothing but one of the deadly green rat.
! rlesnakes, completely paralyzcd by the
chilly night air.
! "Another light showed that the white
! object was the snakes rattleS. So old
: was he that his rattles had turned white.
Holding my revolver within q foot Of
his head, fired and blew it entirely off.
, But now came another surprise, which
4 for moment made me tremble. The re-
port of my revolver had awakened doz-
ons of rattlcrs who had souSht shelter
under the loose rocks before sunset. The
sounds came from all directions, and
! some seemed close to my feet
ITO one who has been in the fores;
and heard the noise made by hundreds
of iocusts he can readily realize my stu
alton, for the buzz of a rattlesnake is
exactly like the buzz of a locust. The
only thing now for me to do was to stand
in my tracks all night Or make my way
back to the bowIder from which l start
ed, but there was difficulty, for i'll the
excitement had forgotten the direction.
But where there is a will there IS q
way and by stopping low down and
scanning the horizon I soon detected the
outline of my transit against the sky,
and cutting off the rattles Twas soon be-
side the bowlder and filled with excite
ment enough for one night.
"Sitting down by the bowlder, 1 made
up my mind to pass the night at that
a spot and, was soon sleeping as soundly
as one can in tho open air, with only
canvas coat and the mercury below freez
ing. About midnight I,was' suddenly
aroused by something trying to pull of
the shoe from my left foot. In an instant
I caught tho glaring eyes and outline o.
wolf. He had given up his grip as hi
saw me move and mechanically lseizet
, my revolver, which had left lying II
ny lap, and fired as best I could will
= my half frozen hand. "-:' -, -
"A loud yell showed that he had beer
] struck, and Immediately a dozen O
; / more wolves who had been close by Sc
up bowling, which in the still nigh
air could: have been heard for mile
around. For an hour or two all wa
/ quiet, when solitary howl a few yard
! from me was answered by a dozen 9th
E ers not 100 yards away. It was too darl
to see All animal of the size OF VOL
more than 30 feet away; but, trusting t
: lnck, Itook the direction Of the pack a
near as possible and sent three shots a
4 them as rapidly as Iconld fire.
"A couple Of yells showed two ha
been hit, most probably by glancing bu
lets. Soon after this the bowling Of tn
: wolves ceased and for awhile all wa
J. quiet again. ...-.
. "As soon as it was light enough
picked up the string Of rattles which
had secured the night before and foun
there were 19, and as the button we
missing he may have had several mor'
e A few rods from my transit lay tf
is cleanly picked bones Of a wolf which or
i of my random shots had killed durin
le the night, and on which the coyotes ha
!. made a substantial meal, but, not satl
!. fed with this, they had devoured IL
- big rattler had killed, head and all.
le % IL &...l .,,,