Year: 1871




From the Lynchburg Republican.


The partiality Of r1ttlesnakes for the
co,jpany of children has been frequent
iy noticed among the mountalneers5 one
instance of which is familiar to some OF
our Bedford readers. 4 few years ago
a farmer, whose cabin stood in one Of
the widest localities about the noun
tains, on coming into the house one
day, discovered his little daughter, two
years old, sitting up i'll bed, where she
had been placed when asleep by her
mother. The child was laughing i'm
moderately and Sh6WiiiS by its every
action and expression Of countenance
that it was greatly pleased. The faith
er approached, when to his horror he
discovered that an enormous yellow
ratblesnake, the largest he had ever
seen, was III bed with the child, and
actually coiled around her body. His
presence instantly brought d change III
the conduct of the snake, which dex-
terously uncoiled itself from around the
child and assumed an attitude OF battle.
The mountaineer's rife hung upon
rack over the door; he grasped it III his
hand with feelings that cannot be de-
soribed, and awaited an opportunity to
shoot. He had no sooner done SO
than the snake commenced caresslng
the child by rubbing his head against
her cheek and darting his forked tongue
almost in her eyes. Then he would
raise his tail and rattle so rapidly as to
make one continuous sound at which
the child was greatly delighted, But
upon the least movement on the part of
the almost distracted parent the snake
would entirely change the tone of his
rattling and swell to almost twice his
natural size. During all this time the
child tightly grasped the snake with its
chubby little hands, and jerking and
twisted him about in a very rude and
Incermomous manner, laughing and
talking to her horrid plaything in a
perfect ecstasy of delight. This state
Of things was finally ended by a move
ment of the parent, which so enraged
the snake that he drew himself up into
tight coil, leaped out of bed, and
would have buried his fangs in the
farmers face had he not quickly dodg-
ed to one side. As it was the serpent
went over mis- shoulder and out at the
door, where he renewed the signal for
battle, but was quickly stretched out
stiff III death by shot from the rifle.


4 party OF young men in the same
only a few years ago had
a very interesting adventure with rat
tlesnakes, which may be briefly stat
ed: Early N the fall of the year, and
before the snakes had 'Ehoused up"
for the winter, this party went out one
night on q raccoon hunt About mid
night the dogs g trecd'' family of feoOns
in one of the largest trees III the neigh
bOrhood. It was decided to wait until
daylight to capture them, with the hope
that the cutting down of the tree could
he dispensed With The young men
laid upon the ground and were anus
ing themselves with telling stories,
when one of the party, who thoroughly
acquainted with the habits and pecu-
liarities OF the rattlesnake, suddenly
called out, " Lie still boys don't move
for anything. There's rattlesnakes
here / heard ones rattle hit a rock. "
He had scarcely spoken when an enOr
nous rattlesnake came crawling over
his foot, and following his leg to his
body, crossed over his breast, striking
his neighbor's face, and crawling over
his mouth. The third party was not
touched by the snake, except that his
rattles tapped lightly against his cap
brim as he passed. The fourth hunts
man herd the rattle, sprang to his feet
and ascended q tree with remarkable
agility. This snake was Immediately
followed by another not quiet so large,
and then by four very small ones, all Of
which traversed precisely the same
path. When daylight came the rae
coons were shot, and then the search
for the snakes commenced. They
were found IN a hollow stump, but a
few steps off, and though they were
dragged out with crooked sticks, and
tormented IN every way, the female
alone condescended to rattle for them,
or show any sign Of anger They were
all killed, and the young man who had
gotten up the hunt has never since been
known to go out after coons unless
there was a very deep snow on the
ground.