Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-02-21
WEASEL AND RAT.
Meet in Deadly Fight in all Dat Bin
in a Country Store.

Meet in Deadly Fight in all Dat Bin
in a Country Store.
During my recent trip to Maine"
said a commercial traveller, II was al
the store Of a country merchant one
morning trying to sell him a bill Of
goods. Happening to step into the
back room, used in part as a store
house for potatoes and grain, 1 saw d
slender, little white animal running
about as if perfectly at home, which
1 recognized as 4 weasel in his winter
coat. l threw a potato at him, which
Of course failed to hit him and did
not seem even to alarm the weasel,
and coming back into the front store,
[ spoke to the merchant about the
wild beast running at large on his
premises.
ooh, that's all right" he said. I'm
very glad he's taken up his quarters
with NE. [ wouldn't have him hurt
or driven away on any account. The
rats have been bothering me a good
deal, eating my potatoes and grain,
but he'll make short work of them.
They'll never stay long IN any place
where a weasel is"
'We were still sitting by the stove
talking when there came a loud
s%queaking from the back room.
"1'1l bet the weasel's caught a rat
cried the merchant, and we both ran
back to the storeroom to see what
was going on there.
'Sure enough, there was a hot fight
on between a big rat and the weasel.
The weasel had the rat cOrnered in a
bin half filed with oats. He had evil
punctureS in the neck, but he pres.
IDENTIFY failed in his first attack and
the second round was about to begin.
The rat was bleeding from two fine
ented a determined front, his teeth
swapping savagely at each approach
of the weasel, which ran lithely to and
fro watching for an opening for at
tack. Neither animal apparently took
any note of our presence.
''The weasel's tactics plainly were to
drive the rat from the corner and
it was interesting to watch its feints
and rushes. At his close approach the
rat would dart forward to snap at
his elusive foe and Immediately back
into his corner again. The weasel was
everywhere at once, feinting to attack
him in front, running around him
along the top and sides of the bin and
working to keep the rat on the move.
AT last he ran. down the side of
the bin behind the rat as if to attack
him in the rear. The rat whirled,
snapped viciously at the weasel, which
drew back out of reach, whereupon the
rat. seeing his enemy upon one side
and a clear space on the other, turned
and bolted from the corner. Before
he had half crossed the bin the weasel
was upon him and had seized him
by the neck close to the head, his
slender body hugging close to the
rats, so that that animal could not
turn his head sufficiently to bite him.
That took the fight out of the rodent,
which ran about squealing, the weasel
holding fast and sucking his blood
until the rat dropped.
"When quite sure that his victim
was dead, the weasel tried to drag
him from the bin, but was not equal
to the task. 1t was with some diff
Guilty that we drove him from his
prey, and, SO long as we remained in
the storeroom he repeatedly tried to
seize the rat, which the merchant took
to the front door and flung for into
a vacant lot across the road.
IF 1 left the rat in the bin, the
weasel would bury it among the oats.
after he found he couldn't drag it
away tC hide" he said. Its only a
week that I've seen him round, and
I've taken five rats out of hat bin
already New York Sun.