The record-union., 1896-11-22
THE BEST SNAKE STORY.

The beauty of the best snake story in
the world is that there was really no
snake in it, which is more than can be
said even of the Garden of Eden.
1t had been very hot that summer on
the rancho Men work in the fields of
California with the Thermometer at
ITO degrees, while they fall down of
heat apoplexy in the streets of New
York and Chicago at 30 degrees. That
is the maxim they preach to the
stranger in the West, and it has truth
in it; but it is mistake to suppose
that even in California men work in
the fields in comfort in such tenn
perature, and that summer the ther-
mometer had gone very near 10 de-
grees So we were very grateful to
get away into the hills for spell, with
a wagon and a tent and the usual
outfit of pots and pans, three of us,
white men, with Louie, the Mexican
(whom we called, in the vernacular. the
GreaSer), to mind the horses and make
himself generally useful. Our pro-
gramne was to fish the river, shoot
deer, and possibly grizzly bear. dis
cover a gold mine, and go back to
the ranch with prospective fortune.
We had just pitched our tent. Down
on the plain for weeks before we had
been sleeping out on the verandas. but
the air of the hills had nip in it by
contrast It was late in the after
noon, but there was still plenty of
sunshine i followed Louie round a
a shoulder of the hill. going to fetch
water at a little stream tumbling from
somewhere among the snowy peaks
that captured the zone of frs on the
great mountains above us. These
mountains had, at some time or other.
sent down a little avalanche of small
rocks that lay heaped on our left as we
walked. The scene was the most peace
full imaginable.
In an instant a succession of small
incidents sent the peace to limbo.
Louie dropped his pannikin with a
tinkling clatter, crying 'Sancta Ma
rial" in a voice of terror. AT the same
snake, and saw it's length gleam under
Louie's feet and vanish among the
rocks.
"Sancta Maria." he tottered back in
to my arms, his dark face livid with
fear.
What is it, Louis? Did the snake
strike you?'
''In the foot he said; yes
Let us go back to camp. Quick,
lean on me-
What's the good, boss?" he asked; !;
I'm a dead man" Nevertheless he
came with me, leaning on my shoulder
and making a lame walk of it.
Down in the plain we had no rattle
snakes. For miles about the rancho
there were no rocks for them, and
though there were plenty of ground
squirrel holes we never saw snakes
about them. The thought of such
things did not enter our heads, and
Louie, weary of his boots, had kicked
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
hay happened.
'-Strychnine the best" said Jock
Peters, who was our authority on the
question of 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 poor chance" he
added in a whisper, as, to save time,
he knocked the neck off a bottle of
brandy. Drink it, LOUIE he said;
never mind cutting your lip; get it
down-thats 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. eleven 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 it if it's dark
before we get back" he shouted as he
went
We pulled the sock off the Mexican s
foot. Already it was swelling fast,
with a purplish tinge around a tiny
blue spot from which the smallest i'm
aginable drop Of blood had welled.
Any good cauterizing it?" 1 sug-
gested.
Not a mag" Jock said shortly. GO
on with the brandy and keep him
moving; that's his only chance"
The Mexican's face was dreadful to
see; he called, in his terror, on every
saint in the church. but he declared he
suffered no pain. Jock, improving the
occasion, began relating in a low voice
to me anecdotes of all the snake bites
he had known. "One boy I've seen
that did recover" he said; land that
was from the bite of brown snake,
and a brown snakes as bad, they say,
as a rattIer-an Australian brown
snake: that is, a rattler can't be worse.
fotIt ctr oil
after; not as Guickwitted as the aver
age, which is not much to say. And
at times, just as the time of year at
which he'd been bitten, the wound got
red again and swelled, and he was
stupider than ever. Louie had on a
sock; the rattler'd have to go through
that: ne might have spent bite of
his poison there; that gives Louie a
sort of chance. Does it hurt you now,
Louie?'
NO, 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
painfully.
Il remember" said Jock, 'going
along a ridge of a terrace on steep
river bank The river was full of
sharks and met brown snake coming
along the ridge toward me. There
wasn't room to turn. and l couldn't
take to the river for the sharks, and /
hadn't gun. But my pal coming be-
hind had a gun, and poked the barrel
in between my legs and blew the brute
to bits
rs that true, Jock?" I asked.
MY heaven, d'you think I'd lie at
such a time as this?" with glance at
Louie's face.
Are you getting sleepy, MANI" he
said: then. as Louie did not answer. he
took him under the arm, and signaling