The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-26
A SNAKE FIGHT.


It was in Australia, and in the fall
of the year My friend and 1 were re-
turning from a tour which had carried
US far into the bush as the forests of
gum trees and scrub are there called.
We were walking through clearing,
when the unmistakable rattle of a
snake arrested US, and in a few minutes
we saw the beginning of a fierce en-
counter between two deadly enemies
a blacksnake and a rattle. These two
branches of the snake family are here
ditary and implacable foes, though
what was the origin of the feud Dar-
win saith not. Between them there can
be no fellowship. amity, compromise nor
even armed neutrality. War to the
death is their unalterable law from
generation to generation. The blacky is
smaller than the rattle, but he is a ter
Tibly formidable foe, and, as science
is superior to mere size or strength, he
generally comes out of the fray victor
ious. He seems to scent the battle
(or rather the rattle) from afar," and
gives himself no rest until he gains
point of vantage from which he can
make a sudden swOOp upon the noisy
foe On this occasion we did not see
the bIacksnake until he leaped on the
rattle's throat, nor could we afterward
make out how he had got so near with
out being seen. That power of silent,
Stealthy. rapid movement gives the
black fellow an immense advantage
over the rafting enemy 1t is that, in
deed, on which his hope of victory main
ly depends. Let the blacky by a sud-
den lean grasp the throat OF the un-
wary rattle and the chances are he
will never let go again until death
them do apart" but if that first chance
be lost, and the two meet in fair tight,
after fair warning, the fangs of the rat
tie are pretty sure to gain him the vic
tory.
In this instance no such misfortune
was the blacky's. He made his spring
and got his grip of the throat, and
there he held on like grim death.
With a fury that was sometimes awful
the rattle wriggled and shook, and roll
ed and writhed. He leaped into the air,
twisted and tossed hImseH ABOUT.
banged his assailant down on the
ground. rolled on him and over him,
but all in vain. Blacky simply stuck.
Nothing could move him. nothing tempt
him or compel him to relax his hold for
a single moment. To have done so
would have been almost certain death
to himself; but, through all the
and hissings of his victim. on he held
with a relentless tenacity that was
equal only to his love of his own life
and his hate of his foes.
Thus for more than an hour and
half the life and death game was kept
up without minutes intermission, and
without any sign of weakening on eth
or side Then we perceived that the
rattle's strength seemed to be giving
wav and all of a sudden he cOiled him
self up and lay still, as if to die. Whetb-
er it was from sheer exhaustion or only
a ruse to deceive his enemy, faint OF
a feint, we were not sure. We thought
it was the former, but blacky evident
" thought otherwise. He understood
his enemy better than we did, and did
not mean to be tricked. Down he lay
by the side of the PROSTATE victim, but
with his teeth firmly set in the now
torn and crumpled throat
Then, after a quiet interval, the one
sided truce having come to an end, or
the r-use having failed, the rattle rose
again and resumed the unequal strug-
gle with the energy of despefation-a
supreme struggle for life Again he
reared and rolled and coiled, and dart