The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-05-04
THE KING SNAKE.
DOES HARM TO NO ONE, BUT KILLS
POISON REPTILES.

POISON REPTILES.
Rattlsrs and Coprerhesds Are the Prey
He Loves to Tackle He Eats n Mouse
or Toad After Each Battle TO Prepare
Him For the Next Encounter.
The distant murmur of tho waterfall
the hum of the bees among tho flowers
mado mo feel lazy. and, laying aside
my fishing rod, l stretched myself ON
tho soft spring grass under u weeping
willow and watched tho blue, cloud
specked sky. had almost fallen asleep
when | was aroused by n voice inquir-
ing, "kotchod emmy fish, mister"
Looking up, | saw u typical noun.
taineer and assured him had not.
Il say, mister, this hore is power
full bad kentry fur snakes, Ono bit Jim
Sloan S bay marc last night, an week
afore last another bit Sally Milligan.
Some on 'em air powerful pizen spe-
cially the rattlers an coppcrs. mn that
minds me, Of L wua yorself, I'd move
II littlo further from that ere copper.
He amt aaotly perty to look at, an of
yo WIZ To rifle i'm with yer boot he
mout git vicious.
Long before that speech had ended |
had turned n somesault backward which
caused the mountaineer great deal of
genuine pleasure to behold l was about
to eXterminato tho big, sluggish reptile
with stick that had seized when my
companion asked mo To wait few mo.
monts, rs II king might como along.
Not exactly understanding whether
he expected IA person of that name and
failing to SEQ what that event had to do
with my laudablo desire to smash tho
big, ugly thing that had presumed to
take my leg for "A pillow. ! asked him
fer an explanation.
Air it possible yor town folks dunno
what king air2 Why u king air tho
boss snake NV tho woGds He don't do
no harm to nuthin, 'eeptn snakes, an
no don't poster thom as hain't pizon.
But ho do love II copper an II RATHER,
which is tho wurst snakes NV these dig
gins an hos death ON ON.
"T'other day | wu2 gwino long old
road. an all nv u sudden | heord n singin
as though camp meetin had just tuck
in. | knowod it WIZ II RATHER, an loolsin
round / saw him on IL knoll. an "a pow
erful big I'M he WIZ He wua quilted up
like eorksorew, an his rattles wu1
amnkin tho mir jingle. But at first
couldn't 'sooyer tho cause, an lSnowed
RATHER never got ready fur business
fur nothin. Presently seed tho grass
a-swayin an IL hendin, an then the rat
tier ho gots nervius an skoored, an uu-
quIllin hissolf ho mndo n break to run.
But it WIZ toe late. fur ON came the
king like "A hurricane, an putin hisself
just ahead tho RATHER showed him his
Jig wuz up. Seoin he couldn't 'seapo,
tho RATHER quilted ag'in an showed
fight. Tho king he commenced to run
round his inimy III wide circle, tho
RATHER watchin, liokin out his tongue
an maxim his rattle sing like banjor
Closer an closer tho king drawod his
circle M no dashed round until he
wuzn't moro'n three feet from tho ini-
my.
Then the RATHER, thinkin ho saw
the last show to cave his bacon, made
HbN'lihA FIfit'lhA lhI6N hb WIZ hlHHY
an thar IL whar no slipped up. fur tho
king ho lodged M quicltor'n gunpow-
der WIZ ON to tho RATHER. Thar wuzn't
nothln but Il ball NV snakes in sight fur
II few minutes NJ they fought an tus-
sled over tho grass, but arter littlo |
could see tho red an black striped king
wound round tho big rattlor Just like
II grapevine ON "a tree.
"Thon | seed tho king hold i'm by
tho bact nv tho neck, an / could hear
him orushin tho RATHER as he tightened
on him. II WIZ all over in half an hour,
an tho king, unwindn hissclf from his
victim, got behind an waited fur ton
minutes. Thon he cropt up an put his
nose on tho rattler's to SEQ if he wuz
breathin io see, other snakes know
the king an sometimes possum on him
by pretendin to be dead.
But tho RATHER wuz shore huff gone,
an when the king wuz satisfied NV this
no crawled in a old stump hole an
presently camo out with "A mouse's tail
stickin out his mouf. But no soon
swallowed the mouse, an, wipin his nose
on tho grass, went off sarchin for more
trouble. A king alters eats rat or "a
toad after fight To make him strong
fur the next un.
An now. mister, could tell yo
powerful lot more'n that, fur 1 knows
snakes, do, but III help ye kill the
copper which nout not meet II king
until no bites Some un Of we didn't, an
then | must hurry on after my oxen,
what / wuz huntin when / seed that
varmint a-tryin to go to sleep with
yerself. '-Philadelphia Times.