The times., 1899-08-22
A FIERCE SNAKE FIGHT.
The Black Reptiles Victory Follow
ed by "a Feast.
.From Chambe.s' JournaI

<Frcr. Chambers JournaL)
It was in Australia, and in the fell of
the year. My friend and | were returning
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 a clearing, when the unmistakable
rattle of a snake arrested US, and in few
minutes we saw the beginning Of fierce
encounter between two deadly enemies-a
biacksnake and a rattle. These two
branches of the snake family are heredi-
taTy and implaeabie foes, though what was
the origin of the feud Darwin saith not
Between them there can be neither fellow
ship, amity, compromise, nor ever armed
neutrality. War to the death is their unaI-
terable law from generation TO generation.
The blacksnake is much smaller than the
rattle, but he is a terribly formidable foe,
and. as science is superior to mere size or
strength, he generally comes out of the
fray victorious. He seems to scent the
battle Cor rather the rattle1 from afar''
and gives himself no rest until he gains a
point of vantage from which he can make
a sudden swoop upon the noisy foe. On
this occasion we did not see the blacksnake
until he leaped upon the ratties throat,
nor could we afterward make out how he
had got so near without being seen. That
power of silent stealthy, rapid movement
gives the black fellow an immense advan-
tage over the rafting enemy. 1t is that,
indeed, on which his hope OF victory mainly
depends Let the bIacky by a sudden leap
grasp the throat of the unwary rattle, and
the chances are ne will never let go again
until death dc them part" but if that
first chance be lost and the two meet IN
fair fight, after fair warning. the fangs
of the rattle are pretty sure to gain him
the victory.
In this instance no such misfortune was
the blacky's He made his spring and get
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 rolled and writhed. He
leaped into the air, twisted and tossed
himself about, banged his asailant 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
single moment. TO have done so would
have been almost certain death to himself.
but, through all the rearings, leapings
tossings, writings. and hissings OF his
victim, on he held with a relentless tenacI-
ity that was equal only to his love OF his
own life and his hate of his foes.
Thus for more than an hour and taif
tte life and death game was kept up with
ont minutes intermission, and without
aDy sign of weakening on either side
/Then we perceived that the rattie's
strength seemed to be giving away and
all of sudden he eeiled himself up and
lay STILL as If to die. Whether il was from
sheer exhaustion or only ruse to deceive
his enemy, faint or a feint, we were not
sure. We thought ii was the former, but
blacky evidently 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, OF the
ruse having failed, the rattle rose again
and resumed the unequal struggle with the
energy of desperation-a supreme strug-
gle for life. Again he reared and rolled
and coiled, and darted up and down, for
ward and backward carrying his enemy
with him in all his contortions, trying by
every conceivable twist to get his fangs
into the merciess foe; but all in vain
Then We began to see III the poor victim
renewed signs of failing strength; but,
notwithstanding increasing weakness, he
struggled for time continuously then
intermittently, until more than two hours
and a half after the first attack. the poor
rattle gave up the contest and lay down to
die This time itrwas no ruse. The poor
fellow was done for, and within ten OF If
teen minutes after the mute surrender he