The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-04-11
HELD Up BY SNAKES.
AN ARMY ENGINEERS EXCITING NIGH
IN THE NORTHWEST.


"We reached the Wolf mountain, in
the Big Horn country, one day in Sep.
TENDER, -" said H. P. futile, formerly an
army engineer, while to the south were
dimly visible the outlines of the Rattle.
/ snake mountains. These names were
given to these mountains by both the
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 NV
head fiagman, placed it in position and
told him he could return to camp, as
had to remain in order to make an as.
Economical observation early in the even.
ing.
Taking off his belt, which held a
huge revolver and a sheath knife about
a 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.
I'd over the ground about me and saw
that l was on a fat topped hill covered
with large powders and small stones,
but entirely destitute of vegetation.
Seating myself beside big bowlder, I
took out my notebook and began writing
up my notes for the day, when darkness
suddenly reminded me that it was about
time to make my astronomical observa-
lions. This was soon over, and started
off at a brisk walk toward our camp.
had not gone over a hundred yards
when saw, a few feet ahead of me, a
long, black object lying directly in my
path. wanted a walking stick badly,
and was STOPPING down to pick it up
when I noticed the end of it far+hest
from me was white Taking a match
from my pocket and tearing leaf from
the back of my notebook, l 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
tlesnakes, completely paralyzed 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 foot Of
his head, fired and blew it entirely off.
But now came another surprise, which
for G moment made me tremble The re.
port of my revolver had awakened doz.
ems 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
exactly like the buzz of locust. The
only thing now for me to do was to stand
in my tracks all night or make my way
back to the bowlder from which | start.
ed, but there was a difficulty, for in the
excitement l had forgotten the direction
But where there is will there is a
way, and by STOPPING low down and |
scanning the horizon 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, made
up my mind to pass the night at that
spot and was soon sleeping as soundly
as one can in the open air, with only
canvas coat and the mercury below freez-
ing. About midnight l was suddenly
aroused by something trying to pull off
the shoe from my left foot. In an instant
caught the glaring eyes and outline of
a wolf. He had given up his grip as he
saw me move, and mechanically seized
my revolver, which had left lying in
my lap, and fired as best could with
my half frozen hand.
ga loud yell showed that he had been
struck, and Immediately a dozen or
more wolves who had been close by set
up bowling, which in the still night
air could have been heard for miles
around. For an hour or two all was
quiet, when a solitary howl few yards
from me was answered by dozen 9TH
ers not 100 yards away. 1t was too dark
to see an animal of the size of wolf
more than 90 feet away; but, trusting to
luck, 1 took the direction of the pack as
near as possible and sent three shots at
them as rapidly as I could fire.
ga couple of yells showed two had
been hit, most probably by glancing bull
lets. Soon after this the bowling of the
wolves ceased, and for awhile all was
quiet again.
"As soon as it was light enough
picked up the string of rattles which 1
had secured the night before and found
there were 10, 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
the night, and on which the coyotes had
made substantial meal, but, not salts
fed with this, they had devoured the
big RATHER had killed, head and all.
Returning to camp, I ordered one of
my men TO cut ten small poles, not less
than eight feet in length, and to wake
me up at 10 o'clock At that hour we
all started for the place where l had
passed the night. Here we found, as I
had expected, the warm rays of the sun
had brought out the snakes from their ]
hiding places to bask in the sunhsine
we W6E6 Sf66teu Will d ueHanCe uot
unlike that of thousand July locusts,
and the work of destruction began in
real earnest. In one hour and ten min
utes our bag contained 213 rattlera, ,
varying from one foot to over three feet
in length, and of dark green color
Only two were found whose rattles had
turned gray. We could have destroyed
more had our time not been toe
to waste in such sport. We saw
but few rattlers after leaving this point
but the wolves made night hideous until
we reached the Little Missouri river, a
month later. kansas City Journal