The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-06
RATTtESNAkFS AID
Guarded the Camp Fire by
Means of a Rope.
TELLS OF A FORTUNE
Smart and Intelligent Serpent
Was Useful.


What for?" asked the youngest of the
prospectors, his beardless face look nj
questioningly across the Goals to the
bearded pioneer who had spoken.
We'll" continued the latter, 'if you
amt pertickler, l amt Praps re like to
wake up with a six-foot RATHER fer yer
mate? | amt got none O. these yere east
ern jrejudices agin snakes. but / must say
don't like 'em to sleep with
The young fellow understood and looped
the larat around the spot where the four
had spread their comforters and blankets
about the fire. No snake win cross q rope.
IS far's L am concerned" said one of the
men who had not spoken, I'VE needn't
spread the rope. I've got a perticklery
high respect for snakes, an if one lonely
RATHER likes to bunk with me, he kin an
welcome
Vas, Bill, reckon we've seen consider
able O snakes commented the old man,
down thar in Arizona. I've heard tell as
the rattlers thar is mighty intelligent, an
they say We kin tame en-
Tame EN-" exclaimed Bill. eye don't
need to tame EN-; they're tame already,
thar was my RATHER Mike, what I had fer
three summers, as smart as any human,
an if he had known just little more
bout chemistry, I'd We had him yet, but
he crawled into a powder keg. which
started rollin' down hill till it struck a
rock. an that was the last of powder keg
an Mike, too"
What tricks could Mike do?'' inquired
tl.e unsophisticated Jim, with youthful in
terest
wall. 1 don't know as he had any per-
ticker tricks, no MORN you nor 1 have"
said Bill, but he was Jest ar all-round
had: he didn't have to teach him. He
could take in situation at a glance him
self. We got acquainted in a very natrul
way. He crawled Hrder my blanket one
night. an next mornin, when 1 sees him,
/ seq:
Good mornn'. sub. An then he nod
ded at me, an after that we was pard
ners.
1T didn't take me long to rekernize the
fact that Mike was powerfully smart,
even for snake. Bless You, the way he
took to civilization was wonderful. One
mornin', as l came up from the crick
with some water for cookin I saw Mike
had hold O. one o my plugs o terback
er, an he was bitin off a piece, an then
he chaWel it, saIne's you an l would. But
the funniest part was the way he'd shet
one eve an squirt the Juice through his
teeth from one side of his mouth, same's
he'd seen me 90. The little cuss, l larfed
an larfed, COS / knew he was 4 maxim
fun o me.
wall, thar was nothin' really wonder
full about that. coRsiderin'' how quick
Mike was TO pick up new ways. He was 4
sinful little cuss. though. an took TO all
my bad habits. 1t wasn't quite safe to
leave any bottles of taran,a juice around.
COS he had way o. gettin' out the cork
and film hisself. Lord, how he would
carry on when he got loaded-jest whoop
aroung the camp huntin' trouble. tum-
bin all over hisself
Most amusin, though. was the way
he'd smoke my pipe. After he took to
that habit. l got him a pipe, an wd Jest
laze about the fire o. evenin's, putin
away an winkin at each other.
.But let me tell We the real smart things
Mike could do. Ye never saw any man as
could smell color the way he could. When
l was out prospectin' l always had Mike
along. coiled about the pack Saddle of my
donkey. When Id get to a promisin look
in spot. III jest unleose Mike. an he'd
nose around, an If he didn't Ike the place.
he'd jest coll up an wink his eyes,
an I'd get TO work. an it meant pay dirt
every time.
THE funniest way we did prcspectin',
though. was when we'd strike gopher
country. Ye know how thick gophers are
in some parts o Arizona. Wall. Mike
would go along smeIlin around the holes,
an crawl down until a little O his tail
stuck QUE I'd wait. an If he wagged his
tail twice Id know there was nothin' do
in: and I'd jest take hold and yank him
out But if he wagged three times. I'd
know thar was color. an If he wagsed
four times Id know he's struck a quartz
Wall one day we were camped in
big ravine an l started cookin'. Mike lie
Jest lit out 10 forage. in about an hour
he came back. M l noticed he behaved
in a most peculiar way. he kept siistin
round a-shakin his rattles an a-hissin'
between his teeth like he was tryin TO
whistle. Pretty soon l caught on he had
somethin' 10 say. 81 l drops my pots an
SEE;
Z" Go ahead, Mike, what is it,
Wall. Mike Jest slides out O. camp,
down the ravino. lookin' back to see that
was follcrin' l Kept close behind him
down the trail. and Mike jest giided along
for half a mile. Then he left the TRAN and
struck of into the brush. up the hillside.
Pretty soon he came 20 a small spring.
and then he coiled M. stuck his tail Up
from the middle and wagsed it six times
Naturally. I Jest whooped back to
camp, and came back with my outfit. and
in half an hour l had PANIED cut ten
ounces OF dust. 7 made See.o0e oGt o that
pocket best strike / ever made. But YOU
bet I'd struck somethin bigger Yet il
that orncry little cuss hadn't c-awled into
that key Of blastln' powder Boys. excuse
my feelings but We was powerful good
friends. was Mike en- nc"
Bill broke OF his story with a sound
that was suspiciously like q sch. Jim SYM
patheticany passed him over flask,
which he drained For t;Tae the part
ners lay in silence. Finally Pete. the
bearded pioneer. spoke.
Bill 4" he said. yer snake was pow
crtuI smart snake. an l should say he
was the smartest ever heard or. but
must give that credit u RATHER owned
thar once saved my life. Otherwise
should lie wsllia' 10 say Your Mike beat
auyttin 7 ever heard tell bout snakes.
wall this we're snake o miro was
noned Rastus He was q most sentiments
Al kind o crItter. an if he MAS separated
from me Cor morn an hour or 50 he'd
weep lest like a small hsby-sest open his