The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-17
THE CHAMPION SNAKE STORY.
a Wonderful Battle Between IA Rather
and n Rlack snake.

! once witnessed a fight between two
snakes which lasted three fun hours,
through the whole of which reverend
friend and /. two grave and gray and
sober men, stood spelbound.
II was in Australia and the fall of the
year. My friend and | were returning
from a tour which had carried us far
into the bush We were walking
through a clearing when the unmistak-
able rattle of n snake arrested ns. and
in few minutes saw the beginning
of an encounter between two deadly
enemies-a black snake and a rattler.
War to the death is their unaltera BILE
law from generation to generation.
The black snake is las we know it
there) much smaller than the RATHER.
but is a terribly formidable foe. and. as
science is superior to mere size and
strength, he generally comes out of the
fray the victor.
on this occasion we did not Sc the
blacksnake until he had leaped OH the
rattler's throat. nor could we make out
how he had got so near without being
seen. That power of stealthy, rapid
movement gives the black fellow an i'm
mense advantage. He got his grip OH
the throat and there he held on like
grim death. With fury that was ter
rible the RATHER wriggled and shook and
reared and rolled and writhed. He
himself about. threw his assailant
| heavily down on the ground. rolled on
him and over him. but all in vain.
| Blacky simply stuck Thus for about
an hour and a half the life and death
game was kept UP without minutes
intermission and without much signs
of weakening on either side. Then the
rattler's strength began, or seemed, to
give way and all of a sudden he coiled
himself up and lay still, as If To die
Blacky was not to be tricked Down
he lay by the side of his PROSTATE vic
tim. but with his teeth still firmly set
in the now torn and crumpled throat.
Then, after quiet interval the one
sided truce having come to an end. or
the ruse having failed. the RATHER sud
denly sprang up and resumed the I'M
equal struggle on which his life de-
pended. but all ia vain. We began to
see in him new signs OF failing. but
Notwithstanding increasing weakness
he struggled on, round after round. un-
ill., nearly three hours after the begin
ming OF the fight. the poor RATHER gave
up the contest and lay quiet and in
about 10 minutes after the mute sur
render yielded up the ghost. But even
! then blacky still hung on, and il was
not until the corpse began To stiffen
that he for the first time withdrew his
nails which three hours before had been
driven into the guIlet of the victim
Then. With all possible staidness and
straiGhtforwardness. the hero prepared
! for the celebration of his victory. He
+ began by stretching and strengthening
/ out the iifeless body, smoothing out
+ every crease and every wrinkle. He
+ seemed tn have assumed the office of
undertaken. Next we saw that he was
licking the body from end to end This
+ he continued for 10 minutes or more.
Having done this hlacky rose. shook
i himself. and he took up his position at
+ the head of his victim. Imagine our
surprise when We saw him open his
wide mouth To it's utmost capacity and
+ take into il the whole head OF the de-
funct RATHER. Then he guiped and
swallowed. then another rest. another
gulp, another swallow. until the end
nf him Ms reached