The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-09-12
HE HAD GRIT.
Frozen Rattlesnakes Should Not Be
Handled by Amateur Scientists.

| II TOZeu IflIleSHdheS SHOulu NOI DE
Handled by Amateur Scientists.
i "This is the season of the year." said
Goold Butler of Florida, when the rays
of the sun down there come plump from
the zenith. 1t is hotter than-well, hotter
than New York at midday but when
night comes chill settles over the coun-
try which lasts until little while after
sunrise. This is also the season of
snakes. About this time of the year l
was once ON q cunning trip in the ham
mocks along the lower st. Johns river.
l came to hotel on the river bank that
was keeping open for the little business
brought to it by the river traffic. Back of
the hotel was a fringe of pines, and be-
yond the pines was a reach of barren
country covered with a growth of blue
palmetto and gallberry.
among the persons staying at the
hotel were two young men whose inter-
est in the region centered in those things
which pertained to natural history. Both
were well dressed. Their hands were
white and smooth. In town they might
have been taken for bank tellers. One
morning, before the sun had taken the
chill out of the air. one of these guests,
in pair of genteel top boots, wandered
for a considerable distance through the
low palmetto scrub. In his path he
found rattlesnake twice as long as the
orangewood stick with which he walked.
"The chill of the night air was still in
, the marrow of the reptile, and it was an
easy matter for the young naturalist to
! clutch tie snake just back of the jaws
and hold him in firm grasp with the
thumb and circling forefnger Of the right
hand. Carefully lifting the body of the
snake with the left hand, the naturalist
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 a rattlesnake's heart as
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
! around his captor's thigh. Thus an.
, chored, he gave an able-bodied pull, which
was the naturalist's first intimation that
' the snake was putting off his sluggish
ness. With his left hand the man was
about to unwind the coil from his thigh,
but he found that if he let go the snake
at its middle the muscle of the reptile
9 would be too much for the right-hand
+ grasp at its throat which was the only
Z safeguard against stroke from it's dead
! ly fangs. So he frightened his grasI
y upon the neck and quickened his pace
toward the hotel.
"Ihe sun mounted toward the zenitl
y and his rays became warmer They gave
q strength and quickness to the captive rep
tile. Instead of steady draw from the
Tightening coil around the mans thigl
+ came a series of angry writings which
4 severely tested the strength in the hands
n and arms unused to endurance. Will
q each convulsion a change in the tint re
Elected from the monsters scales ran like
" q thrill from its head to it's tail, anC
+ then came the warning rattle that nobody
has to hear second time in order tha
he may know it's meaning. The flag OF
the cupalo of the hotel hung limp in thu
hazy distance. The orange-wood sticl
\ had fallen from beneath the arm of tn,
d young naturalist. A numbness wa!
II arms and wrists. He knew what tina
1t meant. Meanwhile the diamond marked
v reptile was warming up for the struggle
d His eyes from pits of molten lead hat
n become deep-set diamonds. His angr,
< writings were fearful to see. He wa
d venom incarnate.
# ut was looking exceedingly serious
mott to say desperate, for the young natu
ralist. Cheerfully would he have pu
aside his enthusiasm in the cause o
!, science and cast the reptile from him
:. tail was coiled tightly about his leg, ant
e if the man had lOosened his hold upon tn,
a neck and middle of the reptile its fang
!. would have made their deadly mari
upon him while yet the coil was un
broken. His life depended upon hi
y reaching the hotel before the strength il
), his arms gave out, and how mucl
: strength he had left he knew not, for tn,
e numbness in them had driven out tn,
s sense of feeling. Again he Quickene(
|. his pace.
t ut must have seemed an endless jour
ney to the young naturalist as he hur
ried along, his eyes fixed on the writing
i monster, except when they were raised
s for an instant to glance at the flag bang
: ing above the hotel, but at last he wa,
= within the grounds. His friend rushed
forward from the little group on tn,
l. veranda, but turned and ran back whel
l. he saw the look on the young naturalist
V face. In a moment he appeared witt
strong cord and cane, which he hac
caught up in the hallway. While he wa
tying q slip moose in the cord neither o
. the men spoke, but it was easy to Sc
" that both knew there was no time t.
q" waste. AS the moose was slipped owe
= the reptiles head and frightened b.
,, means of the cane a CONFUSION stronge
e than any that had preceded it drey
- together the benumbed hands which he'll
g the writing creature, and they yielded t
!. the force that drew them toward tn
coil. which now twice encircled the man
. thigh.
I "Ive got him, said the man who he'll
u the moose.
e. We'll, kindly untwist his tail; m
hands are trifle tired said the other.
e. "This service was quickly done an
g. the two young naturalists went to thei
:; rooms with their captive.
III among those who had stood speecI
e. less while these things were going o
re was Rattiesnake Bob, local snake e1
IS pert from up the creek. When the youn
men disappeared he said, without shu
cd ting his mouth:
es "'Wall. III be - if them dudes hahn
p got grit!
n eyes said one of the guest
They're catching snakes for the Smitl
sonian Institute to experiment with ~
New York Sun.
Of. GOVERNMENT PAPER MONEY.
zee There are not a few people who beliey