The sun., 1901-06-23
COLORADO WAY WITH RAT FRS.
TIE Cowboys Trick OF Slicing IN a Snakes
Head when II strikes.

Did you ever see COW punCher kill n
rattlesnake with a knife?" said a Colorado
citizen now in town. When | first went
West ! punched cattle on the Sunset ranch.
one Of the largest in southern Colorado
was a tendcrfoot. fresh from the East. but no
swell head about me That saved me n lot Of
trouble The boys were dead willing TO
put me next even to a fourteen year-old
bronco, never halter broken Among other
things | learned how to kill a rattler with
a bowie knife. | killed one with a knife 10
make my standing good but after that gun
or pitChfork was good enough for me
Il have seen plainSman ride up t. q small
sized rattler. jump OF his horse. kick at the
waving head, avoid the strike. and "a the
reptile came down place a heel upon IL neck,
coolly take knife from his belt and despatch
1t | have also seen live rattler thrown
up on n haystack by q stack machine. and
have seen the men working on that stack
jump, roll tumble and slide to get away
They could not see the rattler. that was all
In :he open they would have played with 1t
"A rnttlesnake IL harmless out OF coil
For that reason It wastes no time in getting
back into coil after the spring 1t will not
strike unless It Is perfectly sure il can reach i's
object Therefore the cowboy must get into
reach Of the snakes spring II can spring
half It's own length. and sometimes more OF
course the larger the snake the more coils
and the more coils the more Vicious the strike
Dick Haynes was a young daredevil who
would 60 ont Of his way to play with n rattler
| have seen him kill at least a dozen
with knife. and | saw him when he got such
a close call that he dropped the game. and
used n gun forever after
We were out together one Sunday II
was warm. and as We rode he famed his face
with his sombrero Suddenly he ella pped
his hat on his head and started his bronco
on a lope watch me get that pison. he
shouted
Fifty yards to our right was rattler.
1t was trying to get away. but We headed II
In an instant, and were of our horses II
Immediately coiled and then saw the big
gest snake have ever seen 1t was a dia-
mond rattler and about twenty years old. II
Ind the ugest head | ever saw, enormous
in size, and with n mouth that reminded me
of a bulldogs jaw. Dick stopped Just Ions
enough to size up its length 40 ns to get an
idea Of its spring. and then went in on II
The strike came like fash Of lightning
The snake struck the ground with sound
like the cracking of a four-horse whip lash
I'm tnp liil1 ol an expert l'I'h luSl -dNtU
himself by throwing his body back full length
The snake ccllcd again before Dick could
get To H. | got nervous and called TO him tc
shoot II
That's tho first one that ever struck al
mo and got back he said, and I'm goins
To have that pretty head
The rattlcr was beside itself with rage
II Inv, 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 nll that black, Hat, venomou'
| head. with glowing eyes and forked tongu,
waved, slightly, warlly, TO and fro
Dick stepped In again. more cautiously
| lie reached the knife nearer and yet nearer
| too close but | feared to speak 10 him Thcr
! cnme the strike, with that marvellous dart of
speed Dicks knife flashed and tho snake
! lay ~Quirming, a headesS thing, upon The
ground
Let's get to camp, said Dick, it got M
| in the thumb
"Wr Jumped for the saddles and started
| on a mad run for home Dick rode with
! his thumb on the saddle horn. and his knife
! IN H., other hand
1T she begins to swell. OF sho comes.
! said he
W" reached tho ranch and while Dicl
/ poured down whiSkey. We examined tn,
thumb We could nnd nothing, not In,
! slightest wound The snake had strucl
tn" handle Of his knife and the strength nnC
! ,udi"uncss Of the impact made Dick los,
| his nerve " was a good thing for him
tie never went after a ratter again withou
| "A lCnE ~