The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-02-09
A FIGHT BETWEEN SNAKES.
The King Got In Solar Plexus Blow on
the Kattler.

fishing rod, stretched myself OH the
soft spring grass under a weeping will
low, and watched the blue, ,loud-specked
sky. had almost fallen asleep when
was aroused by voice enduring
''Kotched emmy fish, mister?" Looking
up saw typical mountaineer, and as.
sured him had not. ''~ay, mister, this
here is powerful bad kentry tor snakes.
One bit Jim Sloan's bay mare last night,
an week afore last another bit Sallv
Millgan. Some of EN- air powerful piz-
en-, specially the rattiers and coppers
and that minds me eff [ wuz Yourself I'd
move little from that ere copper. He
amt 'zactly perty to Look at, an eff ye
was ter rile i'm with yer boot he mout
get vicious
Long before that speech had ended |
had turned a somersault backward.
which caused the mountaneer a great
deal of sanguine pleasure to behold.
was about to exterminate the big, slug
gish reptile with stick that had seized
when my companion asked me to wait
few moments, as king might come
along. Not exactly understanding wheth-
er he expected person of that name,
and failing to sec what that event had
to do with my laudable desire to smash
the big, ugly thing that had presumed to
take my leg for pillow, [ asked him for
an explanation. "1ir 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 nGthin,' 'ceptin
snakes, an he don't poster them as haiD't
pizen. But he do love copper an rat
tier, which is the wurst snakes of these
diggin's, and he's death on EN-.
'T'other day was gwine long old
road an all Of sudden l heerd sing
in as tho camp meetin' had jnst tuck
in. l knOwed it were a RATHER, and,
lookin' round | saw him on a knoll. an
a powerful big un he wuz. H9 wuz
pulled up like cor k-screw, and his rat
ties wuz a-makin The air jingle, but at
first couldn't 'scover the cause, and
| knOWed a RATHER never got ready for bus
mess fur noIhin'. Presently | seed the
grass a-swain' and a-bendih', and then
the RATHER he ge'S nervous and skeered
and onquiin' hisself he made a break to
run. But it wuz too late, tor on came
the king like hurricane and, putin
hisself just ahead the RATHER, showed h m
his jig was up. Seem he could not
'scape, the rattler pulled ag'in and
showed fight. The king, be commenced
10 run abound his inimy in a wide circle,
the rat!Ier watchin', lickin' out lis
tongue and maxim his ratles sing like a
baujer. Closer and closer the king
drawed his circle as he dashed around
until he worn't more'n three feet from
the uimy.
"Then the raJtler thinkin' he saw the
last show to save his bacon, made pow
erful spiteful lunge at she king, aud thar
is whar he slipped up, for the king be
lodged, and, quicker'n npowder, wuz
onto the RATHER. Thar waren'U nothn'
but a ball of snakes in sight for few
minutes, but after a little | could see the
red and black striped king wound around
the big RATHER just like a grapevine on a
tree. Then [ seed the king hold him by
the back NV the reCk an [ could hear
him cruShn' the RATHER As lie frightened
on him. 1t wor all over in half an hour
an the king, unwndin' hj,selt fcom his
victim, got behind him aud waited for
ten minutes. Then he crept up and put
his nose on the rattler's to see if he wuz
| breathin'. You see, other snakes know
the king and sometimes 'possum on him
| by pretendin' to be dead. But the rat
tier wuz shore huff gole and when the
king wor satisfied NV this he crawled in
old stump hole and presently came out
with a mouse's tai stickin' ont of his
mouf. But he soon swallowed the mouse
and wipin' his nose on the grass went
off sarcbin' FOR more trouble, A king
alters eats rat or toad after fight to
make him strong for the mex I'm,
can now, mister | could tell you a
powerful lot more'n that. for / knows
snakes. l do, but I'll help you to kill the
copper, which mout not meet king un-
til he bites some un eff he didn't, an
then l must hurry on afte" my oxen,
what | war huutln' when | seen that
varmint a.tryin' t. g to sleep With your
self. ''-Phlladelphi Times.
After years of untold suffering from