Fiddled For Mis Life.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1813, 18 July 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

Fiddled For Mis Life.

A California Musician's Experience With Two Rattlesnakes.

Paul Keistcr, a musioian of Everton, Cal., reports an exciting and novel experience with a pair of rattlesnakes in the Sonoma Mountains. Eeister's services are in demand as a violinist in the country, where oldfashioned parties are given. Oae Saturday evening ho played at a farm-house back of Tulupa Mountain. He slept at the farmhouee. The trail to his room leads through a deep canyon, At one point the path windß around a sharp and narrow spur of the mountain. Keister had reached this point when his attention was attraoted by the warning clatter of a rattlesnake. When he saw a formidable rattler in his path he took ■ to his heels. A few feet further along still another rattler rose up before him. There was not sufficient room to pass the snakes without running the risk of being bitten, and the frightened musioian backed up against the ledge and eyed the advancing reptiles. It suddenly occurred to him that in India magicians charm such things with music, - and pulling out his violin he began desperately to play. The music had the desired effect. The snakes gradually uncoiled and glided toward the player. This movement of the snakes was anything but pleasant to Keister, who kept sawing away at his fiddle, trying to devise meanwhile a scheme for escaping. Closer and closer came the snakes and faster and faster flew iha bow over the strings as Keister'e nerves quivered and shook. At last the snakes reached a point within two ! feet of the terrified fiddler, and winding themselves up they lifted their heads closely together and fixed their shining eyes on the musioian. Xeister's nerves were now utterly uncontrolable. With a yell he grabbed his fiddle by the neck and brought it down with orushirg force on the heads of the snakes. The blows stunned the reptiles and Keieter kept hammering away until th6y were dead. He broke his beloved violin, but ho saved his life. The snakes measured six and seven feet respectively. One carried ten rattles and the other seven.