The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-02
THE ROANOKE TIMES, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER ). 1895
THE DUDE HAD GRIT.
BUT 1T WAS A CLOSE CALL FOR THE
SCIENTIFIC GENTLEMAN.

Hot August Sun-Florida Snake Sharps
Astoundcd Mt tho Deed.
Il was onco on agunning trip during
the month of August i'll the hammocks
along tho lower st. Johns river. Icamo
to II hotel Oh tho river bank that was
keeping open for the little business
brought to it by the river traffic. Back
of tho hotel was Il fringe of pmcs, and
beyond tho pines was - reach of barron
country covered with n growth of blue
palmetto and gallbcrry.
Among the persons staying at tho
hotel were two young men whose in
terest in tho region centered in those
things which pertained to natural his
tory. Both were we'll dressed. Their
hands We're white and smooth. In town
they might have been taken for bank
tellers. One morning before tho sun
had taken the chill out of the air, one
of these guests, in pair of rather gen
teel top boots, wandered for consider
able distance through tho low palmetto
scrub. In his path he found rattle
snake twice as long us the orange wood
stick with which he walked
"Tho chill of tho night air was still
i'll the marrow of the reptile and it was
an easy matter for the young naturalist
to clutch the snake just back of his jaws
and hold him i'll firm grasp with the
thumb and circling forcfinger of tho
right hand. Carefully lifting the body
of the snake with the left hand the nat
uralist started for the hotel with his
greatly valued prize, carrying his orange
wood cane under his left arm.
"There is nothing else that so warns
the cookies of Il rattlesnalle's heart us
the vertical rays of the sun, and before
the young naturalist had made half the
journey to the hotel, the captive snake
had managed, unobserved, to twist his
tail about his captor's thigh Thus an
chored, no gave IN ablebodied pull,
| which was the naturalist's first intima-
ton that the snake was putting off his
| sluggishness. With his left hand the
| man was about to unwind the coil from
his thigh, but he found that if he lot go
| the snake at its middle the muscle of
| the reptile would be too much for the
right hand grasp at its throat, which
was the only safeguard against q stroke
from its deadly fangs. So he frightened
his grasp upon tho neck and quickcned
his pace toward the hotel.
| 1.-The sun mounted toward the zenith
and his rays became warmer. They
| gave strength and quickness to the cap
tive reptile. Instead Of Il steady draw
from the tightening coil around the
mans thigh came series of angry
writings which severely tested the
strength i'll the hands and arms unused
to endurance. With each convulsion a
change in the tint reflected from the
monsters scales ran like thrill from
its head to its tail, and then came tho
warning rattle that nobody has to hear
q second time i'll order that he may
know its meaning. The flag on the
cupola of the hotel hung limp i'll the
hazy distance. Tho orange wood stick
had fallen from beneath the arm Of the
young naturalist. A numbness was
taking possession of tho muscles in his
arms and wrists He knew what that
meant. Meanwhile tho diamond marked
reptile was warming up for the strug-
gle. His eyes from pits of molten lead
had become deep set diamonds His
angry writings were fearful to see. He
| was venom lncarnate
cit was looking exceedingly serious,
not to say desperate, for the young nat
uralist. Chcerfully would he have put
aside his enthusiasm in the cause of
science and cast the reptile from him,
but that lie could not do. The RATHER s
tail was coilcd tightly about his leg,
and If the man had loosed his hold upon
the neck and middle of the reptile it's
fangs would have made their deadly
mark upon him while yet tho coil was
unbrokcn. His life depended upon his
reaching the hotel before the strength
IN his arms gave ont, and how much
strength he had left ho knew not, for
the numbness i'll them had driven cut
tho sense of feeling, Again he quick
ened his pace.
ut must have seemed an endless jour
ney to the young naturalist as he hurried
along, his eyes fixed upon the writhing
monster, except when they We're raised
for an instant to glance at the flag hang
ing above the hotel; but at last he was
within the grounds. His friend rushed
forward from the little group OH the
veranda, but turned and ran back when
he saw the look on the young natu-
| ralist's face. In q moment he appeared
with strong cord and cane, which
he had caught up i'll tho hallway.
/ While he was tying slip moose in the
cord neither of the men spoke, but it
was easy to see that both knew there
| was no time to waste.
LAS the moose was slipped over the
reptiles head and frightened by means
Of the cane convulsion stronger than