The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16
RATTLEsNAka RIDE.
The Adventure of Cowboy Out on
the Plains.
From the Hartford Times.

From the Hartford Times.
That's funny looking cover on your
saddle, what is it?"
That's rattlesnakes' skin. Now YOU
know, 1 don't go much on them fancy
rinctums about a saddle; fact is, it's ten
der-feet go in more for such things; fan
cy spurs. silver on bride, fur Chaps,
ivory-handled revolvers, and such likes.
But that snakes skin, l took off two rat
tiers that fastened onto me, and stayed
with me near a mile There's plenty of
rattlefS west of the Missouri Mighty
lucky II IS they rattle, and are generally
Where there amt much grass, and YOU
can locate EN- quick. I've often thought
now many OF us cowboys would catch it,
II rattle snakes roamed around nights
or lay around IN the high bottom grass IN
give them credit; they are square ana
fair and brave. They won't nm ana
they'll give you fair warning. so if Won
want 70 let EN- alone, you can. Long in
August they are the maddest; then tha2.
are blind, and strike out wicked. Take
II round them prairie dos towns; there's
where they are thick; I've seen 100 or
EN- in one town, at one sight How i'm
the nation they get along with their
Rsards' the owls and prairie dogs, blamed
pards. swallow them, and SO get control
OF the concern, just as some business mon
do. It's one of the stock topics of dis
cussion around the camp fire. whether
peace and brotherly love reigns i'm the dos
holes. or incompatibility of tastes makes
life a sacrifice to the owls and docs n
the durn snake don't eat his fellow Iode-
ers, blamed if he amt as self-denvin@ a.
ne ne IS pl2eIn99us. Makes mighty good cover
Tor saddle rattlesnake skin. Stretch it
over wet, tack it down, then shallac and
1t looks first rate"
Tel, me that snake story Hank"
We'll, sir, twas last August ono
morning | started out to hunt IN a SIM,
pony. l rode that old yailer and wbite
sotch-eared boss picketed out there mean
err then than he is now; always looking
Tor chance TO dig out. Last month one
or oNr iellers came in, leaving the beeves
NlnS down all right. He gets off and
bitches that old devil to an OK yoke.
Wen, sir, off he started. The yoke ratified
and that scarf him, and way he went
out of sight in the dark, into the herd
that OK yoke rafting at the end of
rope. Did they stampede? Why. man
alive, we didn't get them steers toeether
for two weeks, and the half on EN- was
lame from running. Much as twenty
out there, we found him and the ei ox-v GGss
in Sage-bush patch, fifteen miles from
the starting point. But / started in bout
my time with them snakes. / was care
less ought to knowed better; twas over
near Dirty Woman's Ranch. NV saddle
girths was Citing loose so l stopped to
fix EN-. right in the center of a big dog
town. Like a fool. l Embossed my larit.
threw il down carelessly and then got off
Wasn't holding the bride rein Before
YOU could say scat old Punkins- a nd Mix
stepped into a coil of the lariat: and
d-n my cats, before ! could realize any
thing, the rope pulled me down. and kinder
half-hitched under my arms, and away
We Went-that blamed plug dragging me
through the town at the ropes end Cad
how the alkali flew The prairie-dogs
bari1ed furiously, the owls screeched, and
the rattlesnakeS ratified. tell you there
was rapid transit in that town for a min
nit. l reckon 1 was hauled over a dozen
dog-mounds. Fast as l was goin', knew
the danger.
Somehow one takes in a good deal in a
minnit, sometimes. In jin I was in the
suburbs, and was sort o. chuckling to
think no snake had give me a dig; still
heard an Internal rafting keeping up
right alongside. Punkins was beginning
to git a little tired hauling 40 pounds
through the sage brush. As he slowed up
| got chance to make a hurried OBJ
s9eryation; Then | see at a 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 l passed by,
and their fangs had caught in my loose
overalls, and | going along at such a
lively gait 1t kept the snakes stretched
out, and they couldn't let go. l knew old
punkins would stop pretty soon, and you
loose and before l could rally would be
mighty apt TO hit me a lick. Luckily
both my arms were free. With one hand
| managed to catch hold of the lariet
above my head. Reaching down with the
other 1 unloosened the buttons Of my
oVerallS. Just then we struck a bed of
cactus. The thorns hurt but they helped
strip off the overalls, all the same, snakes
and all The overalls turned wrongside
out caught RATHER in each leg. Just as
soon as / came to a stop and could
stralghten up, / hurried back and jumped
ont I,n6 them overalls and Lone never quit
was a sign of life left. The skins are the
ones now on my saddle"