St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-20
RATHER ON EACH LEG.
Cowboys Ride With Snakes Dang
ling From His OveraIls.


Hartford Times.
That's a funny looking cover on your sad
die; what is ito"
That's rattlesnakes' skin. Now YOU know
don't go much on them fancy rinctums about
saddle; fact is, it's tenderfeet go in more
1or such things; fancy spurs, silver on bridle
tur Chaps, ivory handled revolvers, and such
pkes. But that snakes skin 1 took off two
rattlers that fastened onto me and stayed with
me near mile There's plenty of rattlers
west OF the Missouri. Mighty lucky it is thew
rattle and are generally where there ami
In grass, ana you can locate 'em quick
We oIten thought how many of us cowbovs
muItu Caecn II IL rattlesnakes roamed around
nights or lay around in the high bottom grass
~ give thtem credit-they are square and
IaIr ana brave. They won't run and they'll
give CIV, you falr warning, so If you want to let
the maddest-then they are blind and strike
OUT wicked. Take it round them prairie dog
.oWns' there's where they are thick; I've seen
t tSe VI em IN one town, at one sight How in
t tne nation they get along with their pards,
S ene Owls and prairie dogs, blamed if know
some say they eat their pards swallow them
b.9in ees cOnIroi Oh the concern, just as some
or discussion around the campfire, whether
peace and brotherly love reigns in the dog
notes. or 1ncompatibility of tastes makes life
sacrlnce to the owls and dogs. If the durn
snake don't eat his fellow ledger blamed II
ne amt as self-denying as he is pizenous
MAKES t1as,t mighty good cover for saddle, rat
down and then shellac and it looks first rate"
Iell me that snake story Hank"
We'll, sir, twas last August. One morning
that old yaller and white gotch-eared horse
picketed out there, meaner than he is now:
always looking for chance to dig out Last
month one of our fellows came in, leaving
the Deeves lying down all right. He gifts off
and bitches that old devil to a OK yoke Well
SIR on he started. The yoke ratified, and that
scarf him, and way he went out of sight into
the Dark, into the herd, that OK yoke rattllng
az the END OF rope Why, man alive we
dldn get them steers together for two weeks
ana the half of them was lame from running
hiucn as twenty head We never did get. That
ola cuss out there, we found him and the OK
yoke IN sage brush patch fifteen miles from
the starting point. But started in bout my
time with them snakes; l was careless: ought
to knowed better; twas over near Dirty
Woman's ranch. My saddle girths was git
ting loose, so stops to fix EN-, right in the
loosened my lariat, threw it down carelessly
and then got Off Wasn't holding the bride
REIN Before you could say scat old Punkins-
and-Milk gave snort and jumped away just
as stepped into coil Of the lariat and -
by cats, before l could realize anything the
rope pulled me down and kinder half-hitched
unoer my arms. and away he went-that
blamed plug dragging me through the town at
the ropes end. Cad, how the aIkali flew! The
prairie dogs barked furiously the owls
screened and the rattlesnakes ratified. 1 tell
a minnit. reckon was hauled over a dozen
dog mounds.
Fast as 1 was goin', I knew the danger.
somehow one takes in good deal in a minnit,
sometimes. In jiff 1 was in the suburbs and
was sort O. chuckling to think no snake had
give me dig; still heard an Internal rat
ting Keeping up right alongside. Punkns
was beginning to git little tired hauling 40
pounds through the sage brush. AS he
slowed up got chance to make a hurried
observation. Then I see at glance how that
rafting was a-keeping up. There was a big
RATHER about four foot long fastened to each
OF my legs. You see, they had struck at me
as passed by, and their fangs had caught in
my loose overalls, and going at such a lively
gait, 1t kept the snakes stretched out and
they couldn't let go. I knew old Punkns
would stop pretty soon, and you bet l knew
them snakes would likely get loose, and be-
fore could rally would be mighty apt to hit
me lick. Luckily, both OF my arms were
| free. With one hand managed to catch hold
of the lariat above my head. Reaching down
with the other | unloosened the buttons of my
overalls. Just then we struck bed of cac-
tus. The thorns hurt but they helped strip
off the overalls. just the same, snakes and
all. The overalls, turning wrong side out
caught RATHER in each leg. Just as soon as
| came to stop and could straighten up,
hurried back and jumped on to them over
alls, and never quit stamping them snakes as
long as there was a sign of life left. The
skins are the ones now on my saddle"