The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-25

tenacity that was equal only 10 his love
Of hi own life and his hate of his foes
Thus for more than On hour and a half
the LIE and death game was kept up with
out any sign Of weakening on either side
Iheh We perceived that the ratfe's
strength seemed to he giving way, ana all
OF a sudden he cOiled himself up and lay
sun, as If to die. Whether it was from
sheer exhaustion or only a ruse to deceive
ms enemy a faint or a feut. we We're
not sure. We thought il was the former,
Dut Diacky evidently thought otherwise.
re understood his enemy better than We
did, and did not mean 10 tricked Down
ne lay by the side of the PROSTATE VIC
TIM, but with his teeth firmly set in the
now torn and crumpled throat
Then, after quiet interval, the one-sid-
en truce having coming to an end or
the ruse having failed. the rattle rose again
ana resumed the unequal struggle with the
energy OF desperatiou-a supreme strus-
sIc lot me Again he reared and rolled
ana colled' and darted up and down. for
Wafd ana backward, CARRYING his enemy
with him In all his contortions. irving nv
every conceivable twist to get his fanps
INTO the merciless foe: but all in vain.
Iheh We began 10 see in the poor victim
renewed signs of failing strength. hut
Notwithstanding increasing weakness. no
SFusS. ed Tor a time continuously. then
- t'tNilNiNs uHtllt more IMAM TWO hours
ana haif after the first attack. the moor
rattle gave up the contest and Law down
TO de. This time il was no ruse Tho
poor fellow was done for. and within rem
or htteen minutes after the mute surran-
Ger ne yielded up the ghost. But even
men nlacky still stuck and Il was not
ulltl me corpse began to stiffen that he
Tor me hrst time Withdrew the nails which
nad been driven nearly three hours before
mo the sure place-the throat of the I'M
happy rattle
Ihen, The tragedy being ended. the com
cay began. and a comedy indeed IL was
al any rate to the two spectators. on the
part OF the victor there was no sign of
triumph. no dancing around the PROSTATE
enemy hui with all possible staidness and
sralshttorwardness the hero prenarfd for
lne celebration of his victory He began
ny stretching and Strengthening out the
Hleiess body. smoothing out every crease
anu every wrinkle on It's scaly surface
with what intent We could not even suass
lie seemed to have assumed the roc of
uhderlaker and TO he preparing the corpse
Iof decent burial, masnanimous toward a
brave though defeated foe Not a twist or
wrinkle was lttt upon the carcass from I u
70 toe, rom nose to outstretched tail Then
10 our greater bewilderment we saw that
he was licking the body from end TO end
making straight parallel lines of saliva
along us entire length, which. with the
rays of the setting sun falling on 1t. ex-
hibited all its varied hues, and made us
long for its possession, that we might car
ry 1t away with us But the darby had
something better 10 do than indulge a
benevolent sentiment for our eradication.
For ten minutes or more he continued his
preparations, until he made four or five
sireaks of saliva, Which shone like satin
ribbons laid horizontally on the dead holy
from end to end.
Then bfacky rose and shook himself. and
having done so, took up his position at the
mead of his victim ana calmly gazed upon
MIN, with the FIRST CLEAN of satisfaction
In his bright little eye We were sin fun
of wonder and conjecture as to his pur-
pose, interment of some kind being the
only thing we yet thought of But then
we saw him calmly open his mouth TO it's
utmost capacity and take into ID the entire
head of the defuuct RATHER; then he GUIDED
and another swallow: and so on untI he
had tucked into him the whole body, a
foot longer than himself; and then, with
the ~ of the tail still dangling from his
mouth, he dragged himself into the scrub.
and thence probably into a gully, there to
spend month or more dlgesting his pom
derous meal, and fighting the battle DER
again in blissful dreams.