Iron County register., 1896-10-29

this boy was stupid all his life after:
not as quick-witted as the average.
which is not much to say And at
times. just at the time of year at which
he'd been bitten, the ound got red
again and swelled, and he was stupider
than ever. Louie had on a sock; the
rattler'd have had to go through that:
he might have spent bit of his poison
there; that gives Louie sort of a
|, chance. Docs it hurt you now, Louie ?'
mo, boss; no, not hurt"
The swelling was spreading: going
up the ankle and right up the leg. and
the man began to talk slowly and pain
fully.
Il remember" said Jock, "goinc
along ridge of terrace on a steeD
river bank. The river was full of
sharks, and / met brown snake CON-
ing along the ridge toward me. There
wasn't room to turn, and couldn't take
to the river, for the sharks, and hadn't
gun. But my pal coming behind had
gun, and he Poked the barrel in be-
tween my legs and blew the brute to
bits
SIS that true, Jock?" I asked.
my heavens, d'you think I'd ever lie
at such time as this ?" with a glance at
Louie's face.
Are you getting sleepy, man?" he
said; then, as Louie did not answer, he
took him under the arm. Signaling me
to do the same on the other side, we
kept him moving between us up and
down and round the tent. From time
to time we made him drink more
| brandy IL Ea1 toll ~
but it seemed 10 have no effect on him.
at stimulates the hearts action, you
know" Jock explained, Just as the
poison goes to stop it; but strychnine's
the best, acts as nerve tonic. It's deal
to do with the nerves, this snake-bite
business"
We heard the little ground-owls be-
gin whistling at each other from the
mouths of their squirrel holes away
down in the plain, and the bats and
moths began to come out as the sun
sank out of sight. They brushed our
faces as we continued to march the
Mexican to and fro. Presently l left
the work to Jock, 9nd rugged up pine
torch for a signal light on the pole
which l had taken from the Wagon.
The job took some while, but at length
got the light fairly iaring.
Look at his face" Jock whispered to
me, as / came back to him.
1t was a shocking sight under the
Pickering rays, swollen, distorted, livid.
The mans arm was swollen, too, as
felt when 1 took my place to support
him. His movements were lethargic
and heavy, so that l wondered that
I J.
moving so long.
"Give him more brandy" Jock di-
rected, "more; that's it-he's had near
" all the bottle. There's a chance"
he went on presently; II really believe
there is. I thought he'd have been
dead before now. Maybe he don't mean
dying after all. A white man'd have
been dead half an hour ago"
81 wish the doctor'd come"
mighty little good wishing"
The weary tramp went on. Twice l
had repIenished the beacon-torch and
once more we gave the Mexican gulp
of the brandy, which finished the bot
tie. As was fixing the torch for the
third time heard a shout down the
canyon. I answered with all my
might. and in few minutes Jim Kelly
and the doctor rode into the circle of
the haring light.
"Alive?" the doctor asked.
"Alive, yes," said Jock; "alive, and
that's about all. He can't speak"
"What have you given him-brandy?
That's right. How much?"
"a hottleful.''
Fright. and you've kept him awake
/ - H.
derful fellows, these greasers. He'd
have died before this if he meant dying.
Let's see the wound"
The candle burned as quietly in tho
still air as in room. The MeXican'E
foot was swollen so that it scarcely
looked like a human member; but in
the midst of the purple swelling was
white circle with the little blue mark.
plainly evident, for its center. The
Mexican seemed to feel no pain, even
when the doctor handled the wound
and pressed it upward with his fingers.
Hold the candle close" he said. Its
blamed strange" he added, "blamed
strange" pecking at the little blue
mark with his forcePs; "the fang's in
the wound yet. 1 never heard of that
happening before. Shake him a bit;
don't let him go drowsy."
His swollen limb wobbled like jelly
under the treatment. 1t was horrid.
The docto: gave little dig, and then
little tug with his forceps. Present
ly he held up TO the candle, in the clutch
of his forceps, n long white spine, and
, regarded it curiously.
Then he said in n hollow voice: "Do
| YOU know what that is? 1t is not q
fang at all. 1t is a cactus spike"
"What?"
i. \ strangely perplexed little group os
men gazed into each others faces with
questioning eyes, under the stars that
twinkled out over the snow-topped
edges of the SierraS.
'>Only u thorn!"
Look at it." the doctor said. "You
can see the thing for yourselves"
One after another we examined the
spine, feeling it's point with a finger
that we certainly should not have veL-
tured near it had it been poison fang.
And there's nothing else in the
wound ?" Jock asked.
Not thing else
"And you mean to tell me that I've
wasted two hours OF my time. to say
Il - e i.