The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23
A WESTERN SNAKE STORY.
TOLD IN GOOD FAITH BIZ THE HON
WILLLIM HILTON OF THE
LEGISLATURE.

LEGIsLATURE.
An ola Esunter Rnrrntes m Opdhidian Tale
which Can ne Verified by the Topography
OF tho Country-some Incidents Interiected
late the Main story by way or Variety.
As an evidence OF good faith and n veracity
above rcproach the Hon. William Hillyon, OK.
member OF the Legislature and a hunter Of re-
pute In tho Rocky Mountains. was drinking cold
water with a dash OF Apollinaris In 1t.
AS for snakes" he said, with the caution DO.
fitting a man who had lived most of his life IN q
state of suspense. II have saw 1.-THE Hon,
William was rnised in Indiana, and certain
Hoosier peculiarities of speech decorated his
conversation forever afterl a good many snakes
in my time. and particularly in the canon coun.
try Of tho Rockies, where the foot Of man never
trod to any great extent. There arc some places
out there, where the cliffs turn themselves up 10
the sunshine for about eight months OF the SNr,
that will breed snakes right out of the solid rock;
like Moses knocked the water in the Wilderness,
Snakes like the warm sun, and ] am here TO say
that tho sun gets warm In some OF them calons
in a way that would astonish you Eastern PEG.
pie. I've broilcd an antelope steak ON the hot
rocks many n time. and ] CnCmhCr how a
tcndcrfoot. ont with me once on II hunt. shot
himself in the leg and had to 20 homn. by laying
his gun down on II boulder and laying down in
the shade OF the rock TO rest. IL had JUST
dropped Off in n snooZe when the gun got 30 hot
IL couldn't hold in any longer and banged n hole
through his leg. He complained OF the country
on account OF 1t. but I told him that he ought 10
be glad it hadn't hit him in the head. for II a
bullet had hit II head as soft rs his was there
wouldn't be anything left Of II at all.
However, I'm hitting wide of the mark.
What / started to say was ABOUT snakes, and ono
of the most remarkable snake experiences | ever
went up against was in n canon in Arizona that
was called Birthstone Gulch. II YVES about ten
miles long and n half mile wide. and the walls
were straight up and down and about 300 feet
high. I had heard a heap about il. hut had
never been around it much. The fact of tho
business was nobody was ever around it any
moro than they could help. | spent the forcnoon
Of one day there, and ! wasn't near il again for
ten years. The last time 1 went there looking
for a mule that had got away from our camp,
about fifteen miles down the valley. and found
him dead at the foot OF the cliff. Somehow or
other he had tumbled over. and, of course.
that ended him, and my partner and I
went down the cliff to get the saddle and
bride and traps off of him. II was the closest
picking I ever undertook to scale down that
wall. and lots OF times we just had to hold on by
the skin of our teeth.
About fifty feet from the bottom we tome 10
a bench about three feet wide. and there we set
down to stch our breath and pull ourselves to-
gether for the last climb. The bench seemed 10
run into the elf a hundred feet or so around
corner there was. and we slipped along the mar.
row path to see where. 1t went to. We found
canon came i. When wa asrP anything !; more rein Than a II cave ave-
The cave was queer enough, but a good deal
queerer was the sight of three or four skeletons
of animals. How they ever got there was
a mystery beyond us. for we could see where the
surely couldn't have climbed down the cliff Ike
we did. But we didn't stop there long to study
a noise like a wind blowing through the cave,
and looking up, we saw millions and millions Of
Coming out Of the cracks in the walls every.
where. don think ] ever saw ANYTHING that
way We got out OF that and back along that mar.
row path was a caution.
fell down the last fifty feet Of the cliff. and when
we struck bottom we went down the gulch at
forty miles an hour. leaving the mule and his
member was that as l looked back just after we
had cleared the cliff and got straightenod oue
snakes hanging over the edge Of tho narrow
path we had got of of SO quick. and looking for
all the world like the hair that l used to see in
l believe they called them.
This was about 3 O'Clock in tho afternoon
and we, got into camp about Z and reported whae
we had discovered. OF course they gave us all
agreed TO show them next day il they would 60
back with us after the saddle and trappings on
ularly to go and see those skeletons up the cliff.
for they had always understood that there were
herds of buffalo and cattle and even horses and
prove the matter beyond doubt and give the
Government u chance TO send u corps of Smith.
sonian Institute experts out 10 get on TO the
wing business.
THE next morning we set out for the snake
joint at Z o'clock, and by noon We had reached
the spot. showing that men afoot when scared
will travel faster than men on horseback when
they amt. And when we turned the last corner
and come ont within 200 yards of where we had
len the dead mule, the entire party, of us stood
mule. instead of being on the ground where We
had left him the day before, was now forty feet
up the cliff and slowly rising. AT first we could
not understand. but as soon as We got our wits
together we did. and we had the whole mystery
explained to us at the same time-to Wit. tho
snakes had formed themselves into an immense
cable, which they wrapped around the mule
to be disposed OF at their leisure. They had done
the same thing with other animals that had
drorpct over the cliff. and they had probably
been dom. 1t for ages. and nobody could tel
how many animals them snakes had dragged
INTO their den and eat.
None OF us had ever saw a sight like that be.
fore and we just sat there on our horses and
gazed at them till one OF our crowd all a, once
give IL yell and II cuss and then we saw that the
snakes not busy with the mule had started for
us and we didn't stop to get any particulars 10
report to the scientific department. 1t wa. nip
and tuck with us for a mile or two down the
valley and then the snakes give it up as a bad
JOB "o o9e eo %g%. "a son 20 1hsir III, ms'f n ms"' William in
somewhat of an Apologize tone. some Of YOU
gentlemen. / can easily understand, may not be-
licve my story. bu. if there be any such ! can
show him in two minutes on any ordinarily Good
map of Arizona the exact location OF the county
in which Birthstone Gnlch lies.
Lies. did you say = asked a man who wene
on. hurriedly.
Recent Railroad siatisiica.
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