The evening times., 1899-06-17
The RnttIesnnkc and the Rat.
(From the New York SUM

Qrom the New York SUM-
When a friend of mine came back to
Boston from a winter in Florida" said a
man from Boston, he brought with him
one of the big rattlesnakes that are ia
miliar product of Florida. This one was
more than five feet long, handsome and
lively and showing viciousness and vim
with every movement. Rattlesnakes are
apt to be sluggish and stupid in captivity.
but this big fellow was always on the alert
and didn't hesitate TO strike his fangs into
anything put inside his cage.
"One day somebody captured one Of the
brown wharf rats that abound along the
Boston waterfront. This particular rat was
not large one, but he had lots of nerve.
He was put into the rattlesnakes cage. as
many a rat had been before. They had
always been the ordinary house rats.
though, and none had ever survived the
strike of the RATHER more than five minutes.
The wharf rat had scarcely time TO look
about him in the cage before the snake
coiled and struck sinking his fangs in the
rats neck. The rat gave a sharp squeai as
he felt the rattler's fangs. He twisted him
self about, and grabbing the snake by the
jaw closed his teeth on it. This was gen
uine surprise to the ugly rattler. He wrIlh-
ed and twisted. and made everything
hum with the violence of the play of his
enormous set of rattles, for the rat kept
his sharp incisors busily at work until the
formidable snake let go his hold on the
belligerent little animal. Then the rat
released the rattler's jaw and sat hud-
died in a heap. glaring at the snake. who
retreated to one end of the cage, where he
lay and surveyed the rat as if in amaze
ment. The rat presently began trotting to
and fro in the cage, looking for place to
escape from II.
uarta Of cod nd "a
rat did not show the least sign of any ef-
feet of the rattler's venom. The specta-
tors were amazed at this. but apparently
not any more than the rattler was himself
In fact the rattlesnake, probably feeling
that his supremacy and reputation were at
stake prepared to strike the rat again. Be-
fore he coiled for the strike he crept to-
ward the rat, his eyes glittering and his
tongue playing in and out of his mouth
fiercely. This movement on the part of
rattlesnakes is intended to strike their vic
tim with terror. But this rat wasn't
stricken with terror by this rattler; rot
even a little bit. He moved forward and
met his terrible foe half way. Quick as the
snake was, the rat was quicker yet, and
caught the rattler's tongue in his teeth
and bit it off.
THAT was enough for the rattler. No
member of his dreaded species had ever
been SO bearded and audaciously treated
before The big snake hastened back to
one corner of the cage, and was SO COM
pletely defeated that he did not even have
the heart to spring his rattles when the
rat In moving nervously about the cage,
walked all over his body. But the rattle
snake recovered from the effects of the ig-
nominous defeat in the course of a day or
so, and he and the rat became great
friends.
1T became the favorite pastime for spec
tators to worry the rat by poking him with
sticks and when amicable relations had
been established between the rat and the
snake the snake used to cover the rat
from his tormentors and spring savagely
at them to the top of the cage, while
everything resounded with the clamor of
his rattles. The rat was kept in the cage
for a fortnight or so. and then released.
He returned to his home beneath the
hearth, on which my friends office was
situated, but every day came out and paid
a visit to the snake at the cage. the rattler
welcoming him at the lattice with every
demonstration of pleasure. One day a
mischievous boy hanging around the dock
shot the rat with Flobert rifle, and did
what all the rattlesnake's poison had failed
to do-killed the rat. 1t was interesting
to see the snake watch every day for the
coming of the rat, and when several days
passed and the rat did not come the rattler
coiled himself up in the corner and lay
there day after day, refusing to notice
food or to respond with his usual vicious
ness to the probings of stick. I don't
want to say that this rattler was pining
for the compaDionship Of the rat or not,
but one day when my friend went to the
cage and tried to stir the snake up with
his zane he discovered that the snake was
dead"