Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1901-03-01

TT WAS in New Mexico. on the river
trail between Socorro aud Mesilla,
with Jim Haskell driving the buck
board team that first saw a road rum
ner. The bird had started from the
roadside into the trail and was running
with surprising speed in advance of our
team-a sauey-lookiug fellow, some
what larger than a snipe, with
straight bill. long tail feathers, short
wings of which he made no apparent
use. and long, muscular legs.
There's a bird that ought to be en-
couraged by all rght-minded men, for
he kills rattlesnakes," Haskell re-
marked after telling me what it was.
"If it were not for this trait and the
fact that a pair of these birds came to
my help once when was in bad way
my bones would be whitening in Sand
canyon to-day.
at began with my being driven into
the brush one night by Indians in the
Magdalena mountains. where was
prospecting for silver. in 81" Haskell
continued.
~ got away from them with only the
clothes stood in. and was pretty we'll
Beat out before came at noon next
day 10 where l could see the Rio Grande
valley ahead. was then in one of
those steep-walled little canyons that
you find in sandstone formations-a
hot, narrow passage. with fine sand
under foot that shuffied and slipped
In as | walked.
81 could see the canyons mouth when
came to a place where the bottom
dropped down sheer for about ten feet,
and in trying to make the jump
slipped, landing any way that hap
pened on the sand below, and when
had got some breath back into my body
and | tried 10 rise to my feet found
that my right ankle had been throws
cut of joint.
This was piling worse luck on bad,
but did not lose heart. for through
the rift ahead | could see. across the
sands. green fields and trees. adobe
houses and the blue sparkle of the
river. l needed all my courage just
then, being faint through pain and hun
ger, and parched with thirst.
Scarcely had | started. on hands and
knees, to crawl out of the canyon when
saw something that caused me 20
pause and look about me as If | were
hunting for lost diamond Along the
bottom of the canyon, in the loose sand,
was mark such as might be made by
dragging rope, and it led from the
place where had fallen toward the
opening ahead 1t was the trail of q
snake, big one, and in New Mexico a
snake that could make track like this
was almost sure to be rattler.
1.-TWO immense rock columns, their
faces cut and followed into queer
shapes by the freaks of blowing sand,
made q natural gateway TO the canyon,
and against their bases the sand was
drifted. leaving a narrow opening along
the center. ] had worked along this
opening until was midway between
the columns. when a snake somewhere
near me sprung his rattle sharply.
For full ten minutes listened, with
the whole air about me alive with the
bugzing before could locate the sound
as coming from directly ahead of me.
Then cTept on slowly, holding myself
ready to crawfish backward on short
notice.
"With all my carefulness | was ~
close to the snake when ] discovered
him that was startled all over. He
was a yellow rattlesnake, the biggest
and most vicious poison snake of the
southwest, and his color was so nearly
that of the sand he lay on that If his
Eattles had not warned me ! might not
have seen him then. lie had dined not
long before, as the lump in his body |
showed, and now, comfortably coiled in
the sand, he was in no mind TO be dis, !
turbed.
~ was too far away from the snake
for him to strike me, and | stayed, !
wondering how | was to get past him.
A queer feeling came over me, every
thing else faded from my view, and
saw only his shining eyes, which seemed |
to spread as they filed all the space
around.
1T was the pain OF a sharp wrench OF
my injured ankle that broke the charm |
that was overcoming me, and made me
aware that / had started forward d. |
Neetly toward the snake. shut my
eyes, turned and went back from the
sight OF thsYeptils az faat as could.
"nut wae ~ sen bs,ng est % NJ !