The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-07-13
with the e-un leveled it at the snake,

with the gun leveled it at the snake,
crying out to me:
Stay still, mister! Stay still, and
Ill blow his head off,.
Put away that gun this instant.
Don't you see you'd shoot my feet?
Keep still, all Of you, and I'll manage
this snake. I'm not in half the danger
you think. Now, boys. do just as l
say. Don't utter one word but just
stand where you are in silence. Take
off your caps and begin waving them
over your heads"
The boys did as told them They
waved their caps vigorously; and the
snake did just as l knew he would
do. He turned his head toward the
boys. who appeared to threaten him,
and them he kept steadily watching.
Me he needed not, for me he knew
not; for, although | spoke, and even
shouted to the boys and to the dog,
yet | stayed all the time motionless,
so that he never was aware that |
lived. | proved years ago that sounds
are lost on snakes. for they have no
ears, internal or external, and could
not hear if they wanted to- But they
are quick to see moving things, and
quick to take fright, too, if the thing
is large or unusual. However, if the
movement is made very, very slowly,
10 ~ %
or none at all. if it is slow enough.
knowing this, | proceeded in the right
and only way to get rid of my I'M
pleasant visitor.
Slowly. SO slowly that you could
hardly detect my motion, l brought
my stick, sripped firmly in both hands,
into vertical position over the rat
ting snake. Gradually. inch by inch,
its point imperceptibly descended. Now
it was within a foot of him; now with
in six inches: now within three: now
actually inside his coil at the very
spot where | wanted it. His rattle
was occasionally EuzZing against my
leg. but there was no danger to me-
Tor he never once noticed either NE
or my stick, but kept his eyes ever
turned toward the boys.
TO lose my head meant to lose my
life
The end Of the stick. as have said, |
was now within his coil, at the only
point where it would be surely effec- |
tive. l calculated this to q nicely. II |
was at the exact spot on the snakes I
side where half of his weight lay on
one side OF it. and half on the other. /
Over the old oak trunk. gently and inn
perceptibly, | leaned forward and to .
one side, bracins myself carefully so
as to be able to throw eli my power
into one sudden jerk Then. just when .
was quite ready. that hitherto unfelt |
stick point few outward and upward; |
and the astonished rattlesnake went /
sailing through the air, not knowing
what on earth had happened to him.
Some twenty yards off he landed !
near the dog; and that unfortunate
brute, seeing the long flying thing
alighting, rushed at it. and was in
stantly bitten in the neck
| could not help him. In five min
utes he was dead.
The boys save one shout when they
saw the snake sent SO cleverly sailing
away from ME through the air; but
now the sight of their dying dog reused
their anger, SO that | could hardly re-
strain them from shooting the rattle
snake, which was coiled and rafting
where he fell.
But at last persuaded them to spare
the snake and go back to the house for
box to put him in.
l got him into it without difficulty.
At home | transferred him to a glass
fronted cage. But unfortunately, the
fire which soon after destroyed my
house and one-third q my collection
reduced him and his age to ashes
Youths Companion