The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-07-13
well he must he there" said one az


rattle. And we all looked in at him.
Didn't we, Tom?"
Come and look for yourselves
said, land you'll see he's not here now"
So they all trooped over to my side
and peeped down into the hole in the
stump, and were much disappointed to
find that he was not in it,
AS the sun was shining into the hole
at the top. dropped down on my
knees to look in through the lower orr
flee, so as to be sure whether rattle
snake had really lain there or not A
momentary glance convinced me that
the boys were telling the truth; for
there on the soft, black mold at the
bottom was the imprint of his body.
Even in the entrance the soil was
freshly rubbed where he had passed,
going in and coming out again.
All right" l said, jumping up. "He
was there, sure enough; and he is not
| far off now"
l handed back the gun to the boy
| who owned it, and then | said, will
you help me to look for him."
"Of course we will"
Very good. The first thing to do
is to stand still where you are, and
search with your eyes every inch OF
the ground you can see"
Now this open space was almost
clear, the only thing growing in it be-
ing sparse and meagre crop Of buck
leberry bushes not more than foot
in height. If the rattlesnake were
there we could probably discover him.
For some minutes we looked and
looked, but could Sd no sign Of him.
Thinking that he NJ ght be lying I'M
der the shady myrtlA surrounding the
open patch. sent the boys into the
bushes, with instructions TO keep in
the thicket about ten yards in from
the edge, and beat carefully all around
the circumference of the clear spot. |
explained to them that if they kept
too close to the edge they would prob
ably come upon the snake, and maybe
one OF them might get bitten: but by
Keeping about ten yards in, and walk
ing In line one behind the other. the
sight of them would cause the snake
to shift his quarters. and probably
make him go back to the hollow
stump.
In order to watch for this very
move. myself took up my post behind
the trunk Of the fallen oak. which, as
l have said, lay across a pine stump
that held it up about three feet from
the ground.
| pulled the brin of my hat down
over my eyes so as to see the better,
and then, leaning my elbows on the
fallen trunk. watched constantly in
front on the bushes behind which the
boys were beating My six-foot stick
was laid along the trunk in front Of
me, and while l stayed there. leaning
on my elbows, l kept my hold on it
with both hands.
OF course | was as motionless as
if were part of the trunk itself. The
only bit Of me that moved was my
eyes. If snake Or any other animal
had come into the clearing, it would
really have considered me to be a part
of the old PROSTATE oak. or at least 4
natural fixture in the place, like the
stumps and tree trunks. No doubt
to the rattlesnahe we were now seek
ing l was just that ard no more, for
when the boys had finished their
fruitless circuit and had come out
again in the clearing, one Of them
at once cried:
Look out. Look OUT There's the
rattlesnake right at your foot"
| did not move a muscle On the
contrary, l bent ever nerve in my body
to keep quiet.
"My feet and legs must stay STILL"
thought. but l must see him.
Slowly, very slowly | bent my head
and looked down.
Yes, | was in a predicament, for
there was large rattlesnake five feet
long and as thick as mans arm.
He was slowly coiling himself between
my feet, the coil resting On my shoes.
Now | was not greatly alarmed until
the dog ran up close by, with his tail
waving. The sight Of the deg SO scared
the snake that he began to rattle. 1t
was the most terrible signal OF danger
that l ever heard in my life. | have
heard rif1e-bullets whizzing over my
head and seen them tearing up the
earth round me. but they never made
me feel half SO grave as did that snake
Euzzing on my toes.
~ y
the snake, began to jump round, bark
ing at it. now at this side and now at
that. The foolish animal dashed in
nearer and nearer to the snake. which
kent its rattle going and its head