The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1895-03-22

were dimly visible the outlines of
the Rattlesnake mountains. These
names We're given to these noun
tains by both Crow and Sioux In
dams, 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. Gong for
ward with my transit to where / had
sent my head ilagman, placed it in
position and told him he could return
| to camp rs | had TO remain in order
to make an astronomical observation
early in the evening. Taking off his
belt, which held a huge revolver and
@ sheath knife about u foot in length.
he handed it to me. saying that |
might need it after dark, as he had
just seen a pack of wolves ahead
After he had gone ] looked over the
| ground about me, and saw that | was
ON q fat-topped hill covered with
| large powders and small stones, but
entirely destitute of Vegetation. Seat
ing myself beside big bowlder took
out my note book and began writing
up my notes for the day, when dark
ness suddenly reminded me that it
was about time to make my astronom-
ical observations. This was soon
over, and / started of at brisk walk
toward our camp.
81 had not gone over q hundred
yards when saw. few feet ahead of
me, a long, black object lying directly
i -. II fl ILL.,.
stick badly and was STOPPING down to
pick it up when noticed the end
of it farthest from me was white.
Taking a match from my pocket and
tearing a leaf from the back of my
notebook / soon had the desired light,
and what was my horror to see that
the supposed stick was nothing but
one of the deadly green rattlesnakes.
completely paralyzed by the chilly
night air. Another light showed that
the white object was the snakes rat
ties! So old was he that his rattles
had turned white. Holding my re-
volver within foot of his head | fired
and blew it entirely off; but now came
another surprise, which for a moment
made me tremble. The report OF my
revolver had awakened dozens
Of rattlers who had sought shelter
under the loose rocks before sunset.
The sounds came from all directions,
and some seemed close to my feet.
To one who has been in the forest and
heard the noise made by hundreds of
locusts, he can readily realize my stu
alton, for the buzz of a rattlesnake Is
exactly like the buzz of locust The
only thing now for me TO do was TO
stand in nv tracks all night or make
my way back to the bowlder from
which started; but there was diff
Guilty. for in the excitement had for
| gotten the direction. But where
there is a will there is way and by
STOPPING low down and scanning the
horizon | soon detected the outline of
my transit against the sky, and cut
ting of the rattles l was soon beside
the bowlder and filled with excite
ment enough for one night.
"Sitting down by the bowlder
made UP my mind to pass the night at
that spot, and was soon sleeping
soundly. as one can in the open air,
with only canvas coat and the mer-
curry below freezing. About midnight
/ was suddenly aroused by something
trying to pull of the shoe from my left
foot. In an instant | caught the
glaring eyes and outline of wolf. He
had given up his grip as he saw me
move, and mechanically j seized my
revolver (Which had left lying in my
lap and fired as best | could with my
half frozen hand. A loud yell showed
that he had been struck, and immedi-
ately q dozen more wolves who
had been close by set up a howl
ing which in the still night air
could have been heard for miles
around. For an hour or two all was
quiet, when q solitary howl few
yards from me was answered by q
dozen others not a hundred yards
away. 1t was too dark to sec an
animal OF the size of wolf more
than twenty feet away, but, trusting
to luck, | took the direction of the
pack as near as possible and sent
three shots at thom as rapidly Us L
could fire. A couple of yells showed
two had been hit, most probably by
glancing bullets. Soon after this the
bowling OF the wolves ceased, and for
a while all was quiet again. had
no fear of direct attack from the
wolves ct that season of the year, but
had it been winter L should have
had to take refuge on top of the
bowlder and use my revolver, when
every shot would have had to tell
"As soon as 1t was light enough l
| picked up the strings of rattles which
| had secured the night before and
found there was nineteen, and, as the
button was missing, he may have
had several more. A few rods from
my transit lay the clearly picked
bones of wolf which one of my random
shots had killed during tho night
and on. which the coyotes had made @
substantial meal. but, not satisfied
with this. they had devoured the big
rattler / had killed, head and all.
''Returning to my camp i ordered
one OF my men to cut ten small poles,
j not less than EIGHT feet in LENGTH. and