The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-22
FIGHT BETWEEN SNAKES.
The King Landed on the RattIer's
Solar PIeXus.

From the Philadelphia Times.
The distant murmur of the waterfall,
the hum of the bees among the flowers,
made me feel lazy, and, laying aside my
fishing rod, stretched myself on the soft
spring grass under weeping willow, and
watched the blue, cloud-specked sky. L
had almost fallen asleep when l was
aroused by a voice inquiring, "Kotched
emmy fish, mister?" Looking up 1 saw
typical mountaineer, and assured him
had not Il say, mister, this here is
powerful bad kentry for snakes. One bit
Jim Sloan's bay mare last night, an week
afore last another bit Sally Miligan. Some
of 'em air powerful pizen, specially the
rattlerS and cOppers, and that minds me,
eff l wuz yourself I'd move a little further
from that ere copper. He amt 'zactly
perty to look al an eff We was ter r1le I'M
with your boot he mout get vicious
Long before that speech had ended had
turned a som2rsault backward, winch
caused the mountaineer 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 few mo-
ments as a king might come along. Not
exactly understanding whether ne expect
ed a person of that name, and falhnS 10
see what that event had to do with my
laudable desire to smash the big, ugly
thing that had presumed to take my leg
for a pillow. 1 asked him for an explana-
ton. "Air it possible yer town folks dunno
what a king air? Why, a king air the
boss snake Nv the woods He don't a.
no harm to nuthin', 'ceptin snakes, an, ne
doan' poster them as hain't plzen. but
he do love a copper an rattler, Whlcn
is the wurst snakes OF these ulSsIhs . an
he's death on 'em.
s0Tother day 1 was gwine long old
road. an all of a sudden l heerd a sing
in. as tho a camp meeting had just tuck
in I knowed it were RATHER, ana,
loollin' round, | saw him on a Knoll, an
a powerful big un he wuZ. He was qulled
up like a corkscrew, and his rattles Wuz
a maxim the air jingle. But at first
couldn't 'scover the cause, and knoWed
a RATHER never got ready fur business FUR
nothing. Presently l seed the grass
a-swayin and a-bendin', and then the rat
tier he gets narvous and skeered an, uh-'
quilting hisself, he made a break to run
But il wuz too late, for on came the kins
like hurricane. and, putting hisself just
ahead the RATHER, showed him his jig was
up. Seeing he couldn't 'scape, the rat
tier uuiled agin and showed hght Inc
king he commenced to run around ms
ininy in a wide circle, the RATHER watch
ing ickin out his tongue and maxim has
TattleS sing ike d DdlJSls NAO7NN tN-'@
closer the king drawed his circle, as ne
dashed around, until he worn't more'n
three feet from the inimy. Then the rat
tier. thinkin' he saw the last show to save
his bacon, made a powerful spiteful lunge
at the king an thar is whar he slipped
mn for the king he lodged, and quicker
punpoWder wuz onto the rattler. Thar
weren't nothing but a ball of snakes IN
sight for a few minutes as they fought
and tussed over the grass but after 1T
tie I could see the red and black striped
king wound around the big RATHER just
like a grapevine on a tree Then l seed
the king hold i'm by the back NV the
neck an / could hear him crushing the
rattler as he tightened on him. 1t wor all
over in half a hour, an the king, I'M
winding h!sself from his victim, got be-
hind him and waited for ten minutes.
Then he crept up and put his nose on
the rattler's, to see if he wuz breathin.
Won see other snakes know the king. an
sometimes 'possum on him by pretendin'
to be dead. But the rattler was shore
'nuf gone, and when the king wor salts
fed nv this he crawled in old stump
hole and presently came out with
mouse's tail sticking out of his mouf. But
he soon swallowed the mouse, an wipin'
his nose on the grass, went Off sarching
for more trubbe A king alters eats a
rat or a toad after a fight, to make MIN
strong for the next un.