Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-29
FIERCE BATTLE OF SNAKES.
tier and Kills 1t With n Solar
Plexus Blow.

From the Philadelphia Times.
The distant murmer of the waterfall, the
hum of the bees among the flowers, made
me feel lazy. and, laying aside my fishing
rod, 1 stretched myself on the soft spring
grass under a weeping willow and watched
the blue. cloud-speckled sky. I had almost
fallen asleep when 1 was aroused by a
voice inquiring, "kotched emmy fish, mis-
ter?" Looking up 1 saw a typical noun
taineer, and l assured him I had not. II
say, mister, this here is a powerful bad
kentry for snakes. One bit Jim Sloan's
bay mare last night, an week afore last
another bit Sally Mil!igan; Some on EN-
and coppers, and that minds me. II l wuz
yourself I'd move a little further from that
ere copper. He amt 'zactly perty to look
at, an if We wuz to rile I'm with yer boot
he mout get vicious
Long before that speech had ended I had
turned a somersault backward, which
caused the mountaineer a great deal Of
genuine pleasure to behold. l was about
to exterminate the big, sluggish reptile
with a stick that L had seized, when my
companion asked me to wait a few mo-
ments, as a King might come along. Not
exactly understanding whether he expected
a person of that name, and failing to see
what that event had to do with my laud-
able desire to mash the big. ugly thing
pillow. 1 asked him for an explanation.
'Ai- it possible yer town folks dunno what
a King air? Why, a King air the boss
snake Nv the woods. He don't do no harm
to nuthin', 'ceptin' snakes, an he doan'
poster them as hain't pizen. But he do
love a copper an a rattler. which is the
wurst snakes of these diggin's. an he's
death on EN-.
"T'other day I was gwine long a old
road, an all of a sudden 1 heerd a singin'
as tho a camp meetin' had just tuck in.
I knowed it were a RATHER. and look!n'
round ! saw him on a knoll. an a powerful
big un he wuz. He wuz quilted up like a
corkscrew, and his ratties wuz a-makin'
the air jingle. But at first l couldn't 'scover
got ready fur business fur nothin'. Pres
emily I seed the grass a-swayin' and a.
bendin', and then the RATHER he gets ner-
he made a break to run. But it was too
late, for on came the King like a hurricane.
and, putin hisself just ahead the RATHER,
e eaSISn7t 'heane his the jig ratt Tg. oS uPi s ss:in ah hS
showed fight. The King, he commenced
to run around his inimy in a wide circle,
the RATHER watchin', lickin' out his tongue.
Closer and closer the King drawed his
circle as he dashed around, until he worn't
more'n three feet from the inimy.
Then the rattler; thinkin' he saw the last
show to save his bacon. made a powerful
spiteful lunge at the King. an thar is
wkar he slipped up. for the King he lodged.
and quicker'n g~unpowder: wuz onto the
of snakes in sight for a few minutes as
they fought and tusseled over the grass.
but after a little I could see the red and
black striped King wound around the big
RATHER just like a grapevine on a tree.
Then I seed the King hold i'm by the
bac.: NV the neck. an I could hear him
crushin' the RATHER as he frightened on
him. 1t wor all over in half an hour, an
the King. unwindin' hisself from his victim,
got behind him and waited for ten min
utes. Then he crept up and put his nose
on the rattler's to see il he wuz breathin'
Won COO other cnakeS kpouy tho KING an
sometimes 'possum on him by pretendin.
to be dead. But the RATHER was shore huff
gone. and when the King wor satisfied NV
this he crawled in a old stump hole and
presently came gut with a mouse's. tail
sticking out of his mouf. But he soon swal-
lowed the mouse, an wipin' his nose on the
grass, went off searchin' for more trubble.
A King alters eats a rat or a toad after
a fight to make him strong fur the next
IN. -,
IAN now, mister. I could tell you a pow
erful lot more'n that. for I knows snakes,
I do. but I'll help you kill the copper, which
mout not meet a King until he bites some
ur eff we didn't, IN then I must hurry on
after my oxen. what I war huntin' when
I seed that varmint a-tryin' to go to sleep
with yourself"