Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-12-10
A SNAKE STORY.

|
mometer at 40 degrees, whilo they
fall down of heat apoploxy in tho
streets of Now York and Chicago at
! 90 degrees. That is the maxim they
preach to the stranger in tho west
| and it has truth in 1t, but it is
/ mistake to suppose that even In Cal
ifornia men work in the fields in
comfort in such n temperature, and
that summer the thermometer had
gone very near lis degrees. So we
were grateful enough to got away
into the hills for "a spoil with
wagon and a tent and the usual out
fit of pots and pans, three of US,
white men, with Louie tho Mexican
(whom we called, i'll tho vernaoular
tho Groaser), to mind the horses
and make himself generally useful
Our programme was to fish the
rivers, shoot deer and possibly a
grizzly bear, discover a gold mine
prospective fortune.
We had just pitched our tent.
Down on the plain for weeks before
we had been sleeping out on the ve-
randas, but the air of the hills had a
nip in it by contrast. 1t was late in
the afternoon, but there was still
plenty of sunshine. l followed Louie
round u shoulder of the hill, going
to fetch water at little stream
tumbling from somewhere among
tho snowy peaks that capped the
zone of frs on the great mountains
above us. These mountains had at
some time or Cthcr sent down lit
tic avalanche of small rocks that Law
hoaped on our left as we walked.
The soeno was the most peaceful
imaginable.
In an instant a succession of small
incidents sent the pcaco to limbo
Louie dropped his pannikin with a
tinkling clatter, crying Santa
Maria!" in n voice of terror. AT the
same moment heard the dread rat.
tie of snake and saw its length
CLEAN under Louio's foet and vanish
among the rocks.
Santa Maria!" He tottered back
into my arms, his dark face livid
with fear.
"What is it, Louie? Did the snake
strike your"
In the foot, " he said, yes"
Let us got back to camp. Quick,
lean on me-"
whats the good, boss?" he ask
ed. I'm n dead man." Neverthe.
less he came with mo, leaning on
my shoulder and making a lame
walk of it.
Down in the plain we had no rat
tlesnakes. For miles about the ranch
there were no rocks for them, and
though there were plenty of ground
squirrel holes we never saw snakes
about them. Tho thought of such
things did not enter our heads, and
Louie, weary of his boots, had kick
ed them off, with the long spurs,
and came with me in his stocking
feet on this quest for water.
A word explained to the boys
what had happened.
"Strychnine's the best, said Jock
Peters, who was our authority on
tho question of snake bites, which
he had studied in Australia, but
we haven't got it, so we must do
what we can with this. But it's a
poor chance" he added in a whis-
per as, to save time, he knocked
the neck off bottle of brandy.
Drink it, Louie" he said. Never
mind cutting your lip. Get it down
that's the chief thing"
The Mexican's teeth chartered as
we forced in the neck of the bottle,
but he drank a great gulp without
winking. The liquor or pickle, either,
to scorch the throat of Mexican
has yet to be found.
Jim Kelly. the Irishman, was sad.
ding the freshest of our horses, to
ride at best speed into Lindsay, II
miles away, in the haze of the plains,
for the doctor. In a minute he was
pounding away along the hills. Fix
up light as high as you can put il
If it's dark before we get back" he
shouted as he went.
We pulled the sock off the Next.
oan g foot. Already it was swelling
fast, with a purplish tinge round a
tiny blue spot, from which the
smallest imaginable drop of blood
welled.
Amy good oauterizing it?" sug.
gested.
Not a mag" Jock said shortly.
"Go on with the brandy and keep
him moving. That is his only
chance"
The Mexican's face was dreadful
to see. He called, in his terror, on
every saint in the church, but he de-
clared he suffered no pain. Jock,
improving the occasion, began relat.
ing in low voice to me anecdotes
of all tho snake bites he had known.
lone boy I've seen that did recov.
or, he said. and that was from
the bite of a brown snake, and a
brown snakes as bad. they say, as
a rattler-an Australian brown
snake, that is. a RATHER cant be
worse. But this boy was stupid all
his life after, not rs quick witted as
tho average, which is not much to
say. And ut times, just at the time
of year at which he'd been bitten,
the wound got red again and swell.
ed, and he was stupidor than over.
Louie had on a sock. The RATHER d
| have had 70 on throp1b fhat Ha