The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-12
HOW PHAROAH SAVED NE.
a Story of Some Rattlesnakes and
Pig.
BY FRANK L. POLLOCK.

BY FRANK L. POLLOCK.
He was not the Oriental Pharaoh
but d chubby black and white pig, fond
of human society. Farm folks know
how occasionally a sheep, a pig or a
hen viii insist upon taking up its quar-
tors as close to human beings as pos
sible.
Pharaoh devoted himself to me, and
whenever 1 was about to stroll over our
Pennsylvania. hills with my gun or &c
to the neighbOring village. it was first
necessary &c. lock carefully to see that
he was not in sight 1t was almost inn
possible to confine him and he would
often follow just as a dog will do. only
showing himself when he was too far
from home to be sent back.
This morning, however, I fancied thai
he was in security, for I had shut him
into a small sheep pen and closed the
bars. II was a beautifully mild day
near he middle of spring, and | was
going into the woods TO shoot crows,
which were very destructive 10 the
corn. both before and after sprCUting.
/ roamed about for several hours, and
becoming tired, at last ] sat down to
rest upon a strip of smooth grass and
leaned against a big pile of boUlders.
had magazine in my pocket, and took
If out to read. 1t was delightfully."-
warm and sunny. l sat longer than /
had intended, anI presently began to
find it difficult to keep my attention
fixed upon the article / was reading. I
closed my eyes two or three times, and
as often reopened them, and at last
the magazine slipped from my hands
and fell into a light doZe.
How long I slept l do not know, but
was awakened by a sensation as of
cold water being poured across my
wrist. l moved my hand involuntarily,
and with the movement came a low
huzzing whirr that brought me TO my
senses like lightning. though f0rtu-
nately not to my feet.
Opening my eyes l looked in the di-
rection of the sound. but without NOV
Ing q muscle of my body. / saw what [
expected. Close beside my left wrist.
ard cciiei up in a neat spiral. was the
rattlesnake. His broad, Wedge-sh2ped
head was erected VenOmously, while
his rattles buzzed from the center OF
the coil. His gaze was directed at my
hand which / had sleepily moved at
the chill contact OF his body, and Ia
was evidently in two minds, whether 10
strike or retreat.
was not unused to rattlesnakes, for
we frequently met them about the
farm and l knew / was in the most
imminent peril. I did not lose my pres
Of NINA. DOMeNNf- anu al lily lat
,,Itiess cleared to form a plan Of es-,
cane | did not believe that the snake
would strike while 1 remained motion
less. and / was calculating whether by
a ouick turn and a roll in the opposite
direction | could not arrive at a safe
distance from my enemy, when l was
horribly startled by rustling of paper
and another warning whirr directly be-
eide nv right shoulder.
while asleep l had gradually slipped
down. so that L now lay at full length
unou the grass. AS I cautiously turned
nv ewes in that direction l saw sec
ond snake, a small one, coiled up on
The mage and ready for action.
7 was horror-stricken at this sight
for IL seemed that l was hemmed in on
both sides But even then I cast my
eves upward and saw protTuding from
a crevice in the rock above, half the
body of a third of the hideous crea-
t,1res. More than that, there were two
"a, three other heads and necks just
visible here and there about the chinks,
directly above me. The old boulders
must have been their winter retreat.
Al this discovery ] turned deadly
sick and [ believe / should have faint
ed had / not braced every effort of the
will against it. The snakes ceased rat
fling after a little, and Strengthened