Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-02
sLICING A RATHER.
THE COLORADO WAY OF TURNING
THE DANGEROUS TRICK.

Dexterity and Daring of the Cowboy
In Cutting on the Head of the Rep
tile After Its Intellectual Attempt
to Strike.
did you ever see a cow puncher kill
a rattlesnake with a knife?" said
Colorado citizen now in town. when
I first went west, 1 punched cattle on
the Sunset ranch, one of the largest in
southern Colorado. / was a tenderfoot,
fresh from the east, but no swell head
about me. That saved me a lot of
trouble. The boys We're dead willing
TO put me next. even to n 14-year-old
broncho never halter broken. Among
other things, 1 learned how to kill
RATHER with bowie knife. 1 killed
one with knife to make my standing
good, but after that a gun or pitch
fork was good enough for me.
Il have seen plainsman ride up TO
a small sized RATHER, jump off his horse,
kick at the waving head, avoid the
strike and as the reptile came down
place a heel upon it's neck, cOolly take
knife from his belt and dispatch it.
/ have also seen live RATHER thrown
up ON a haystack machine. and l have
seen the men working on that stack
jump. roll, tumble and slide to get
away. They could not see the RATHER;
that was all. In the open they would
have played with it.
"a rattleSnake is harmless out of
coil. For that reason it wastes no time
in getting back into coil after the
spring. 1t will not strike unless il is
perfectly sure Il can reach its object
Therefore the cowboy must get into
reach of the snakes spring. 1t can
spring halfIits own length, and some
times more. OF course the larger the
snake the more coils, and the more
coils the more vicious the strike.
Dick Haynes was n young dare
devil who would go out of his way to
play with n RATHER. l have seen him
kill at least n dozen with n knife, and
saw him when he got such close call
that he dropped the game and used
gun forever after.
1--WE were out together one Sunday.
1t was warm, and as we rode he famed
his face with his sombrero. Suddenly
he clapped his hat on his head and
started his broncho on a lope. Watch
me get that pison,' he shouted.
Fifty yards to our right was n rat
tier 1t was trying to get away, but
we headed it in an instant and were off
our horses. 1t Immediately cOiled, and
then l saw the biggest snake l have
ever seen. 1t was a diamond RATHER
and about 90 years old. 1t had the
ugliest head I ever saw, enormous in
size, and with a mouth that reminded
me of a bulldogs jaw. Dick stopped
just long enough to size up its length
so as to get an idea of its spring, and
then went in on it.
THE strike came like a flash of light
ming. The snake struck the ground
with a sound like the cracking of four
horse whiplash in the hands of an ex-
pert Dick just saved himself by
throwing his body back full length
The snake coiled again before Dick
could get to 1t. 1 got nervous and call
ed to him to shoot it.
That's the first one that ever struck
ut me and got back he said, and I'm
going to have that pretty head
THE RATHER was beside itself with
rage. 1t lay, coil upon coil of smooth,
glistening length, showing the long
reach and powerful spring in reserve.
Out of the coils two feet more of body
and neck rose straight in the air, and
above all that black, venomous head,
with glowing eyes and forked tongue,
waved, slightly. warily, to and fro.
"Dick stepped in again. more eau
tiously. He reached the knife nearer
and vet nearer to that swaying head.
/ knew he was getting too close, but
feared to speak to him. Then came the
strike. with that marvellous dart Of
speed. Dicks knife flashed and the
snake lay squirming, headless thing.
upon the ground.
Lets get TO camp said Dick. 1T
got me in the thumb
1--WE jumped for the saddles and
started on n mad run for home. Dick
rode with his thumb on the saddle
horn and his knife in his other hand.
IF she begins TO swell, off she
comes said he.
1--WE reached the ranch, and while
Dick poured down whisky we exam
ined the thumb. We could find moth
ing. not the slightest wound. The snake
had struck the handle of his knife, and
the strength and suddenness of the i'm
pact made Dick lose his nerve. 1t was
good thing for him. He never went
after n RATHER again without a long
sss-Npvv York SIM