Arizona silver belt., 1895-02-09
SOME SOCIABLE SNAKES.
A Moccasin That Inadvertently
 Swallowed Mans Thumb.
others That Get in Boats with Fishermen A Fight In s Dugout with a Six Foot Diamond Back Rattle
 snake-TnIl Tales


 Speaking of snakes said a sun burned man the other day, "there are more of them to the square inch in the st. Francis river basin in Arkansas than there are fiddlcrs in Gchcnna.'
 Nobody had been speaking of snakes says the St. Louis Globc-Democrat. and q small man with a contentious chin said he thought man could go to Heaven even If he did play the violin. but the sunburncd man gave no heed to the interruption and continued. "There ain't any use in keeping an eye out for snakes in the sunk lands-lcast- ways except for rattlers and cotton mouths There are so many mecca sins that if you dodge one you'll run into two others, and your best chance is to keep right on your road and trust to the slimy devils giving you room, Moecasins amt vicious except in Aug ust, when they go blind, and then they are mostly stakCd out under logs and in other secluded spots where a man hasn'tgot any business intruding
 '0ne day q nigger who was employed at a club house on BlaclSiish bayou was sitting in a dugout cleaning fish. When he had moved the entrails he would reach over the side of the boat and wash the blood away by shaking the fish in the water Snakes are fond of fish, you know, and there was a school of moccasins swimming around the dugout, scrambling for the entrails. One big fellow--hc must have been six feet long-with mouth like an alli- gator gar, swan up just as DoclS-the nigger's name was Docll-dropped his hand over the side of the boat and splashed it around in .hc water Co get the fish scales of of it. The big snake thinking that meant more free lunch, grabbed Docks thumb and swallowed it When he got to the fork he natu. rally stopped, for he couldn't take in the whole hand. Dock felt the snake swallow his thumb and he jerllcd his hand out of the water The snake came with it. and for about ten sec onds there was the most mixed up lOt of colorcd man and snake in that dug out 1 ever saw. lt was hard to tell which was the worst frightened Dock or the snake, Finally the moccasiu gave up Docks thumb and crawled back into the water, and Dock scrambled ashore.
 Did the snake bite the negro?n said a listener.
 Nav. His eating teeth sortef scratched the skin of the thumb, but he didn't have chance to use his fangs. The snake didn't mean any harm; he was just hungry and aociablc There is no end to the sociability of n noccasin when he's in good spirits Many time have seen one drop into dugout from which man was fish ing, and know 1s well as know my b cs that the unake meant no harm but l never nave seen man who would stay in the boat long enough to find out exactly what his fcllow-passcngc dii mean; that is, unless he rcsorted t violence and killed the snake, which. of course, precludcd the possibility oi getting an explanation
 X man know had m adventure with rattlcsnGkc in q dugout once that wasn't funny. East-that's the mans name-was getting ont timber during the high wafer and was about two miles from camp in q submerged cane brake. He was in the bow of the bout and stopped over to get a drink of water When he arose he started back ward Co the stern What it was that made him turn and look behind him East never could tell. but he swears that something told him 10 do it. Any way, he did it, and he hasn't quit being glad of it yet for, coilcd up in the boat about two feet in front of the stern seat was q tremendous rattlesnalSe. East says it made pile bigger than q bushcl measure, and guess it did, for t measured five feet nine inches and was as thick as the calf of my leg.
 East started to jump overheard, but it was early in the spring and he knew the water was cold. Besides he didn't know but the blamed snake might take a notion to stay in the dugout all night Tho snake had no notion of getting out. and was singing its war song at q great rate and holding himself in readiness Co spring es soon as East got within striking distance. Calling for help would have done no good for there was no help to call within two miles. Thercwas an ax in the bow of the dug out, and East grabbed it and prepared to strike one bl at the snake, any how Did you ever try to stand up in a sassafras dugout and fight an angry SIX foot diamond-baclS rattlcsnalSc with an ax? If you ever did you know how East felt ] never did, and l don't know, and I'm not anxious to find out. East knew he would have a chance to strike one blow and that must be sure one. He advanced as close as he dared and waited until the snake gath cred for its spring; then he strucS. The sharp steel met the serpent as it sprang and cleaved its body about six inches below the head
 What happened for the next hour East never knew. As soon as he saw he had killed the snake he squatted right down in that dugout and fainted, like a heroine in an old-school romance. When he came around the snake was dead, and he was so weak and nervous that he could hardly paddle to the camp, where he told his story and showed the snake to prove it.
 Another time l saw a snake" but the crowd wouldn't finger longer, and the next xtreminiScence of the sunburned man was lost to posterity.
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