Year: 1876

the sun. 1t lay stretched out. The
hunter walked up carefully, placed
the pole IN position, and in a twink
ling it descended on the neck of the
reptile, making it a prisoner. 1t took
all the strength of that brawny man
at first to keep the snake fast on the
rock. Rattlesnakes do not curl as
other snakes do. When pinned down,
they simply lash the ground or rock
with their bodies.


"Stand back" said Jake; "let him
lam that stone until he gets tired"


The horny chain on the snakes tail
ratified, but the prong was too small
for him to slip his head or body
through. 1t pinched just enough to
madden him. In three minutes he
seemed tagged out, when Jake was
enabled to dose him and lay him out.
The body was beautiful in gold, dark
brown and black. The belly had
gTayish white and black stripes. On
the back there were black spots. Jake
took out the poison sack, which looked
very much like a water blister on hu.
man flesh.


"That stuff in the veins of twenty
men would kill every one Of 'em,"
said Jake. Some people would say
this fellow was eleven years old, ac-
cording to his rattles. I don't believe
it. l believe these snakes get 'em
more than once a year when they are
young. When they're old it may be
different. This skin amt worth much,
but We'll take it along any way"
SIddenl ly was heard the shrill whis-
tie Of one Of the men about two hun
dred yards over the rocks. The dog
pitched head foremost in his effort to
get away in hurry. Jake caught
breath, and said, "Come on, but be
careful" A thrilling sight was Endy,
in a bath of perspiration, holding
down snake that seemed as large
again as the one we had Just captured.
The dog was called away.


81 want this fellow alive" said En-
dy, "and Jake, take hold of this until
l run up to the big hickory and get
that box"


In short time Endy returned with
soap box lined with leather. The
lid was rude a9air, made of heavy
wire. He set The box down, and then
took hold of the prong. The snake
was then made to swollow wadding
ball, and when it was under its infu-
ence it was easily thrown into the box,
and the lid fastened with staples. The
snake measured nine feet in, length.


Another start was made, and in
about an hour and a half five fair
sized snakes were killed. All of the
party were on time at the appointed
place Of meeting. Nineteen snakes
had been captured. Jake was asked
what he had in that vial.


That's the best thing in the world
to put any man or beast to sleep you
ever heard Of. We get it by stewing
up Indian turnip, hazel nut, dock and
one or two other things that the wo-
! men folks gather on the hills. Old
Granny Lipperd first give it to the
people in these parts. There was
fine horse got his leg broke for Gen.
Bridge, and they had an idea they
could set it if the horse could be put
to sleep and out of pain. Old Gran
ny stewed 'em up some and they gave
it to the horse, and it put him to sleep.
We tried the stuff on dogs goats, sheep,
and on fish, and towards the last we
got it on the snakes and it works like
a charm. / wouldn't like to give it to
human being for fear it might put
him so sound asleep that he'd never
get over it.


The men cut off the heads of the
reptiles, extracted the poison sacs, and
put them in one box. In reply to a
question as to what that poison was
good tor, one said: "In the first place
it is not dangerous If you keep it
away from your blood. The women
folks use it very sparingly though.
Sometimes they mix it with camphor
to smell of for headache. A little
boiled with dock leaves and wild lau-
rel is a good wash for rheumatism.
Stiff joints are limbered up pretty well
when a sac is thrown into warm wa
ter with salt and little mustard. The
skins dried are said to cure headache,
earache, rheumatism, wildfre, or ring
worm, if worn around the arms"


Last year these four men killed 327
snakes in three months, and they in
tend to exceed that number this year.


"These snakes we got here" said
Endy, "are the worst kind of rattlers.
They live on mice and birds. There is
no such thing in my mind as charm
ing bird. My opinion is that the
snake comes on to the bird so sudden
ly that it gets scared to death. /