The record-union., 1897-08-09
The BEST SNAKE STORY.

lHE DEOl ONhkE OlU0ti
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 of the Garden of Eden
It had been very hot that summer
on the ranch. Men work in the fields
of California with the thermometer at
40 degrees. while they fall down of
heat apoplcxy in the streets of New
York and Chicago at 90 degrees. That
is the maxim they preach to the stran-
ger in the west, and it has truth in it;
but it is a mistake to suppose that
even in California men work in the
fields in comfort in such a tempera-
ture; and that summer the thermome-
ter had gone very near 115 degrees. So
We were grateful enough to get away
into the hills for a SPELL with a wagon
and 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 gen.
orally useful Our programme was to
fish the rivers, shoot deer and, possibly,
a grizzly bear, discover 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 our verandas, but
the air of the hills had a nip in it by
contrast. It was late in the afternoon,
but there was still plenty Of sunshine.
/ followed Louie round shoulder of
the hill going to fetch water at lit
tie stream tumbling from somewhere
among the snowy peaks that capped
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
heaped on our left as we walked. The
scene was the most peaceful imagin-
able.
In an instant a succession of small
incidents sent the peace to limbo. Louie
dropped his pannikin with tinkling
clatter, crying "Sancta Mariai" in
voice of terror. At the same moment
I heard the dread rattle Of a snake,
and saw'its length CLEAN under Louie's
feet and vanish among the rocks.
"Sancta Maria!" he tottered back
into my arms, his dark face livid with
fear.
What is it, Louie? Did the snake
strike you?"
I'm the foot" he said, ''yes."
LET US get back to camp. Quick,
lean on me-
Whats the good, boss?' he asked.
I'm a dead man" Nevertheless he
came with me- leaning on my shoul-
der, and making a lame walk of it.
Down in the plain we had no rattle
snakes. For miles about the ranch
there were no rocks for them, and
though there We're 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 70 the boys what
had happened.
"Strychnine's the best" said Jock
Peters, who was our authority on the
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 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-that's the chief thing
The Mexican 5 teeth chartered as we
forced in the neck of the bottle, but
he drank a great gulp without wink
ing The liquor, or pickle either. to
scorch the throat of a Mexican has
yet to be found.
Jim Kelly, the Irishman, was saddle
ing 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
is dark before we get back" he shout
sd, as he went.
We pulled the sock off the Mexican's
foot Aleardy it was swelling fast,
with purplish Stinge round tiny blue
spot, from which the smallest imag-
Unable drop ofsbIood had welled.
ANY good cauterizing it?' I sug-
gested.
Not a mag..'' Jock said, shortly. Go
on with the brandy, and keep him NOV
ing; 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. lone boy I've seen
that did recover" 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; rattler can't be worse.
But this boy was stupid all rhis life
after; not as quick witted as the aver
age. which is not much TO say. And at
times, just at the time of the year
at which he'd been bitten, the wound
got red again and swelled, and he was
stupider than ever. Louie had on
sock: the rattler'd have had to go
through that; he might have spent a
bit of his. poison there; that gives Louie
"A sort of a chance. Does 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.
Z remember" said Jock, 'going along
a ridge of a terrace on a steep river
bank. The river was full of sharks,