The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-05-11
THE DEADLY PHOTOGRAPHER"
Rattlesnake Takes Snap Shop in Beautiful Chimney
Rock Section of North Carolina.
(BY KENNETH j. FOREMAN ,

GlldPPNN W q PiONcS "a II III
tended killing you as soon as he hao
taken your picture? That pleasant,
experience vas once mine, and tho l
may lose the photograph, I shall never
forget the tenor Of that exciting mo-
plent.
1t all began when George Harper,
a schoolmate of mine, was keeping
bachelors hall with me on his first
visit to the mountains. He wanted 10 |
see all the sights. of course. We had
been everywhere but to Chimney |
Rock, where We intended to start at
daybreak the next morning.
OF all North Cardinals beautiful
mountain scenery none is so grand as
that in what is known as the CHM |
ney Roc: section, where the noun
tains stand out precipitous and rugged
as they do nowhere else.
only the thought of the possibility
Of losing his life or his good looks to
a RATHER or a copperhead marred
IIarper's a~nticipations.
Won't We be sure to see some
Snakes?" he asked.
"Of course not-especially if we are
looking for them" said 1. I'm the
eleven years I've lived in these noun
tains. the only two snakes I ever saw
were running away too fast for mo
to catch them
George Feared Snakes.
George seemed still rather incred-
ulous, for he was a l~owlander, and
snakes were his fear by day. his night
mare by night. My repeated assur-
ance that all snakes were born cow
ards only partly diSpelled his fore
bodings. Yet had we known What
was in store for us, it is doubtful if
even / would nave stirred a step from
our own front yard. And yet, after
We were safe home again, the adven-
ture we had had seemed worth a
dozen trips-or so we boosted.
The night before we left, we went 70
bed early so as to leave betimes in the
morning. But alas. as with all CAMP
ing parties, everything occurred to de-
lay US, from a noiseless alarm clock
TO a rebellious kitchen fire. q was
the cook that week. At last we
started, carrying nothing in particular
IN the way of luggage except two Dor
rowed cameras, with a jar of peanut
butter and some of my biscuits for
lunch. We hoped to find supper and
lodging at a boarding house near
Chimney Rock.
On Lookout For Adventure.
All day we walked, up by a STEEP
road over the crest of the Blue Ridge
ihen down the rocky Broad River
following it as it grew from a tiny
rivulet to a wild torrent impossible tt
ford. Again and again we crossed 1T
sometimes having to walk in it fol
rods, where the steep mountains OF
both sides comprehensive road to ruI
in the river-bed or not at all. Some
times the river led us through beau
tiful little sun-lit valleys occupied b.
a lone cabin or two,-again we fol
lowed it through dark gorges wher'
the sunlight barely filtered through
the dense frs. Always we were OIL
the lookout for adventure,-som
moonshine distillery or a ravenou
wildcat seeking whom he might de
your. But all in vain. If there Wer
any stills they were we'll concealed
all the wildcats were asleer
once, to my great surprise, thougl
not to Georges. We saw a Harmless
little blacksnake, but it got away fror
Harper's rather nervous blows.
"CaStirOn'' Biscuits.
one slight misadventure, indeed, W
had at lunch. My biscuits prove
really impossible Of consumptio
without Chilled steel teeth and cal
vanized iron digestive apparatus. Hun
CRY as we were, we had to eat tn
peanut butter raw and throw the biz
cults to the fishes in the river. Il re
gret to say that not a biscuit tioate'
The mortality among the fishes mus
have been fearful.)
Peanut butter not being very stin
ulating, we had to fill up the chinf
with berries from the roadside bushe
This tool time, of course. Looklr
at the even wilder scenery TOOK MOI
time, and it was not till nearly dal
hat we reached the little village
Bat Cave, two miles from Gimme
Rock.
Rere q real disaster awaited u
Supper was long over, and all the r
naming eatables consisted of thr'
cold biscuits and half Of a small fis
Having devoured these under Il
watchful eye Of the landlady, we sa
lied forth to the village store to g
something more substantial. only
find hat the s~torekeeper, like near
everyone else in Bat Cave, had sh
up shop and gone to bed early. T1r,
and hungry, back We went to t
boarding house and to bed, there
dream of mince pies and fried chicke
Delicious BrOilcd Trout.
Had those biscuits l made not be