The record-union., 1895-01-31
SNAKE VENOM.
Manner of Procuring 1t for Hunting
or WarIike Purposes.
How the Piutes and Apaches Prepare
It for Use in Poisoning
Their Arrows.

had been a cattle ranchman on the
plains of Southeastern Arizona for some
two years before could find out how the
Apaches poison their arrow tips. The
Indians inherit from their ancestors an
intense secretiveness as to the manner of
their preparation of venom for hunting
or warlike purposes. A tribal chief
years ago would as soon think of
cutting off his own head as to let another
chief know some method peculiar to the
tribe for preparing powerful poison.
Now that the savages use firearms almost
to the exclusion of their primitive
weapons, the older warriors will not, II
they can, allow information concerning
their tribal manufacture of venom to be-
come known among the palefaces. | had
in my employ a bright young Indian
buck who gave me full information con-
cernihg the way the plains Indians have
for many generations made the poisonous
fluids for their arrows. One day he went
so lar as to get permission for me to go
over to the mountains to see tribe OF
Yavapais get their weapons 10. proper
poisonous condition, just the same as they
used to do when about to start upon the
Warpath.
Rattlesnakes afford most of the Apache
and Pluto Indians venomous COM
pounds. To see the savages prepare the
poisons and try their efficacy on them
selves is enough to distress even 'front.'
iersman's dreams. The bloated rattle
snake of the hot, all1ali deserts of Arizona
or the Panhandle Of Texas makes the
most powerful poison. There is no more
hideous and deadly serpent in iAmerica
than the bloated rattler. 1t is terror
even to an Apache Indian, and if there is
one thing that Is worse than rattleSnake g
in the opinion of plainsmen and settlers
in Eastern Texas and Southern Arizona
it is an Apache Indian. The Piutes, al
though a more cowardly gang than the
Apaches, hold this rattlesnake i'll less
horror, but they give 1t plenty OF room.
The Piutes draw on the snake Tor their
poison after it is dead. The Apaches, in
spite of their fear OF the snake, make 1t
contribute it's venom to them while 1t Is
alive.
The rattlesnake of the Arizona desert
grows to a length of six feet and attalns
girth of six inches at the thlckest
part. They have tremendous sets OF rat
tics. ! saw one once that was over live
feet long and had twenty-thr rattles
on it, and l heard of a snake being killed
that had twenty-seven rattles. The head
of the desert rattler is an enormous tri-
angular thing often five inches long from
the thin neck to the blunt nose, and three
inches wide, measuring from base to base
of the jaw-bone. This snake has fangs
an inch long, and is frequently fitted with
two sets. The poison sacks at the base OF
these fangs are as big as a haZelnut. The
snake IS q bright yellow in color.
The desert rattlesnake is a dreadful
enough customer any day in the year,
but during August takes on the fullneSs
of its frlghtfulnesS, both in appearance
and conduct. About the middle OF August,
when the weather is ipsufferably hot, this
snake becomes bloated from some cause
until it is a third larger than its normal
size. Its appearance is as if the suak 9
had been blown up like a bladder or
charged with gas like balloon. This
rattler is always sluggish and slow IN its
movements, and, like all of its kind,
usually makes an effort TO get out of the
way of its intruders, but in August it
simply lies still in bloated responsiveness
and viii not move for anything, being
ready at all times to strike at everything
that comes near IL. AS near as you can
get at il, this rattlesnake at that time Of
the year is simply a swollen reservoir OF
venom, and its bite Will then send even
an Apache Indian TO the happy hunting
grounds.
A Piute Indian who wishes to lay in q
stock OF poison for his arrows kills. at
this time of year, enough OF these rattle
snakes for his purpose. He cuts OF their
heads and takes them 10 his lodge. He
places IN one of the rude earthen vessels
tects ten or q dozen of these snake heads.
To them he adds perhaps a pint OF tarant-
ula killer, as the big hairy Texan or
Mexican spider is called, or, rather, he
puts the abdomen of the spider in with
the snake heads. This spider has sting
that injeCts q poison subtle enough al
most TO kill tarantula instantly, which
Is itself about as poisonous member OF
the auimal kingdom as one would care TO
meet. The poison sack OF the Iarantula
killer is in the lower abdomen OF the in
Sect and il is this the Piute braves mix
with the rattlesnake heads. He then
pours IN pint of water, seals the lid of
the vessel on with moist clay and places
II IN pit where he has made q
bed Of hot Goals. he buries the vessel in
these Goals, and, beside that, builds q
blazing IRE on top of IL. This FIRE is
kept burning nercely for several hours,
when 1t Is swept away, and the Indian
digs his vessel out OF the Goals. With 3
long pole he knocks the lid on, and does
not venture near the pot until the steam
that arises from it as soon as the lid is
taken OFT entirely ceases TO appear.
The Piutes say that 70 inhsle tiIe small
est quantity OF that steam would be in
slant death. Whether that is true or not
/ ain not able to say, as l never saw il put
TO the test After the fiery ordeal 20 which
the snake heads are put Is over, q brown
lsh residuum remains in the bottom OF
QuintesSence OF poison, ii its action on
human blood, or, ST least, Indian blood,
Is any indication. The PiuLe always tests
his poison before trusting his arrows 10
It de cuts q cash IN the IeshY part OF
his leg and draws the blood, which he lets
trickle down his leg. When the red
stream has run down six or seven inches
he dips stick in the poison anu touches
II 10 the lower end OF the bloody streak
II the poison Is all right i. actually burns
the blood almost Ike hot iron touched
10 water and rapidly runs up the trick
ling stream. The Indian has his knife
ready anu scrspes the poisoned blood OF
II il were permitted TO reach the wound
il would lie all up with the Plute. The
arrows are dipped into ihIs poison, and
the Indian feels that whsleyer such an
arrow hits would much better not have
been born.
The Apache collects his poison in a
much simpler way. Drsadiug the Stskei
Plain T2itIesnske as he does he never
theIess makes II his business 10 go
among them at the very time they are me
most deadly, lying in b.oaGed hIdeous-
ness Sll through that dreadful country 10
gather his venom FOX MS arrows. he
does this by placing The liver or heart OF s
deer, freshly torn from : victim some
times not dead. IN front OF : snake within
easy striking distance. The snake pro-
tests against this presence OF the o65ec.
and quickly sinks lis fsuES into il again
and SgAlu. In : lew seconds the heSrt or
liver viii take on $ purplIsh hue, souuIch-
ly does this poison affect l. w hen the In
dian thinks Inc receptacle has drawn all
the venom from the snake il Is removed
and hung up IL the sun. IL IS left there
until Il y almost ready 10 drop 10 pieces
from putEIdlty. II the ApScle feels Il "a
testing the deadly qualities o. This fright