The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-06-14
COWBOYS visit
HOME OF RA77LERS
Encounter Millions of the Ven-
emous Reptiles in Butte
County South Dakota.
NEAR "THUNDER BUTTE"
Thrilling Story of a Scene That Struck
Terror to the Hearts Of Even
These Hardened Men of
the Plains.
NEAR "THUNDER BUTTE"
Ry G. P. Loofburow.

One evening late in the month of Sep
TENDER, 1900, amidst a cloud of dust and
Gathering of hoofs, two cowboys from the
Flying V ranch refined their horses up at
Btxby. q stage station IN Butte county,
s. d..
"Hello Jim" shouted one to the pro-
prietor's son who appeared at the door OF
the bunk-housa. "Have you heard from
the round-up?"
YES the natter replied. the stage
driver said they canped ten miles north of
Rabbit creek last night
"Has Arizona showed up YETI" asked the
questioner.
There he comes now. 1 guess he
added.
Before they had time to fill and light
their pipes Arizona appeared at the door.
Hello, Airy" greeted one of them
What do you know?
''They camp tonight OF Rabbit creek,
cut out there tomorrow, then head west,
was the answer.
Head west! h the devil do they
head west for?"
Snakes. Twenty miles north the coun-
try Is carpeted with EN-" Arizona replied
as he pulled q handful Of rattles from his
pocket and threw them on the table.
'Something to remember a few of them
by that crossed my trail today he con-
cluded.
do you mean 10 say YOU hiASu ina
many rattlers today?" l asked, Il little
incredulously.
Ibid l kill them! 1t is not very safe to
rob a rattler of his music box when he
knows 1t, so l generally put them to sleep
first" was the laconic reply.
Pockets Filled With "Ratties.'
I counted them. There We're an even
fifty of all sizes from two rattles and a
button to ten. FIFTY in one day" re-
,-1 ~. y, -~;I- 1n md If NOT 7
as we'll have been fifty hundred IL the
day had been longer"
What are we to do asked one of the
first who came
.Ive got a couple of days Oh my hands
and IL you don't mind going with me
will show you the kind of a snake show we
put up in South Dakota and you don't
have to buy tickets to go to it either"
Its a co." / said, Il am with you.
Before the sun rose over the hills the
next morning we We're in our saddles. we
both wore high topped boots and mad a
green willow stick about one and Il hall
inches in diameter and three and a hall
feet long strapped to our saddles. We
rode at a lively gait for about two hours
when my companion suddenly refined his
horse pack on his kaunches, and loosen
ing his stick leaped to the ground. Look
ing ahead a few yards / saw a huge rat
tier fully seven feet long basking In tnt
sun. one dow from lHe Slich anu ne va
helpless. After planting his heel on thu
reptiles head, MASKING it to a jelly, h
grasped it by the tail and by a suddel
hoist broke the rattles off and broush
them to me.
We had not rode far before anothe
nearly as large as the one Arizona hat
dispatched crossed our trail ahead of us
l wanted to dismount and kill it. but m.
companion would not permit me. Don
think you are going to kill all the snake
you see today" he cody said as he pu
spurs to his horse, and / soon found h
was right for within an hour the countr.
was literally alive with them.
The further we advanced the more nu
merous they became. They surrounded u
on all sides. The constant buzzing fror
the continuous rafting kept our horses OF
the alert until they grew suspicious an
finally refused to go.
I'VE will leave them here" said Ari
iona. "if they CON- want to go furthe
and make the rest of the way on foot.
guess that will be the safest way to d
any way or we may have to walk home
Get your stick" he concluded. You ca
use it now to your hearts content"
Fearlessly he dismounted. but I wit
moee reserve. scrutlnized. the ground YER