A RATTLESNAKE AS A BEDFELLOW.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 35, 29 August 1891, Page 331

A RATTLESNAKE AS A BEDFELLOW.

BY

CLARENCE BULLEN.

PEAKING at -nakes in one* boots,’ s “"* *^ s old timer. - it was ow this road in the time of its boikiinz, and *■ this same rising country we are ■"** through. that a man had the worst ease of a snake in Sus clothes ***** 1 e * CT knew of. Bat this was no mirage, bat a real, sure-enough rattler that erawled under the shirt of a sober The Cajon Paeifie train was then entering the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains. A little party of pas-

sengers, accidental acquaintances, were in the smoking comportment of the palace ear enjoying their cigars and talking of matters relating to the country through which we were travelling. Conversation had turned upon snakes. The 1 old-timer.’ a portly capitalist from the mining region, went <m with his narratiou, and we ad listened. ‘ A party of as were in those hills yonder.’ he said, * when the railroml was bailcin-r, getting out ties on contract, and were camping one night in a little grassy valley among the bluffs. We were sleeping on the bare ground in the open air. It was late in September, and the nights were getting cool in the mountains, and each mao had turned in with his clothes on and rolled up in all the blankets be couid muster. Next to me lay an Illinois man named Robert Jellison. a eool, moderate sort of fellow, but with plenty of nerve, as you shall bear. Some time about midnight I was awakened by hearing -lellrsoe calling to me in a low voice. My first thought on waking was that some one might be tampering with the horses, and not wishing to make any demorsstration until I found out what quarter the trouble was in, I got my hand on my revolver and whispered. without moving ; ••• What’s up, Bob 1 Indians ** Gfeßfeou was lying o« his baek perfectly me tionfess. Without stirring, he spoke in the same tone as before : ■ “ No ; I wish it were. I think a stake has erawled up my trousers leg. Ikva’t move only as I tell you. lAju’e wake the boys. He's quiet now and I don’t want him set agoing. Bat get up easy and start a fire.’ •So I slipped oat of my blankets, and moving around, raked the brands of the camp-fire together, piled on some wood, and soon had a blaze. While I did this JeKisoa was speaking in a memotouous tone without moving his lips. • “ He’s feeling his way along under my shirt, but he keeps moving up all the time. His head is as far up as my armpits already and his tail isn’t over my instep yes. I think he s a mile long and weighs a thousand pounds so the inch. The fire’s all right, iat’t it ? Now eome here and get the blankets away from me. The reptile is lying on top of me along my left leg and side. Begin on the rigat side, and work easy.’ • -lellisou’s blankets were tucked tightly under him, and it was a ticklish proceeding to pull their cdere from beneath, him withoat moving his body, with the ehanee that as any moment I might encounter the head of his unwelcome visitor. -Jelifeoa growled from time re time with suppressed emotion as I jarred him ever so little and kept saying “ Work easy Finally I got the Wanketa dear on one side, and gently lifted them away from his body. He had turned in with his shirt, trousers and on, and by the firelight I saw protruding from the left trousers teg ax inches of the tail of a stake tipped with a big rattle. 'The reptile which had sought his present quarters for warmth evidently did not like the sensation of the eold air on the exposed extremity, for there was immediately an ugly wriggling movement under JeHisons clothes. and the snake s tail ‘disappeared upward dear to the rattle. • It ith all his nerve and coolness, the suspense was telling ou Jeffison. His face showed white in the firelight and the edd sweat stood in big drops on iris forehead. “ The make's head js up to my shirt collar bow.” he gasped. “Take your hasting knife and rip my cloches open as the right side. His cold body is taking all the strength out of me. Work quick and doa’t mind the tisk of cutting nt’ ’ hunting knife was as sharp as a razor. but I strap ped it a little on my boot to give it an extra fine edge, and, working so as not to disturb the snake, I began at Jeliis»>n’s rigat shonUm and eut e.ean through his clothes from she shirt _roliar te the bottom of the. left trousers leg. Then stepping round to the other side and bolding the garments so as they w*xild serve as a shield, I laid them over on the left so as to leave Jeßison’s body exposed. A huge rattlesnake lay the whole length of the man's bodv, its tail resting on has instep, and its big triangular laid reposing in the hollow of his throat- Tire reptile, on being uncovered, curved his neek a little by drawing up fife body so as to 100 k behind and see the cause of its being disturbed, then threw itself halt in a eoii, assuming the form of the tetter ii- with its head tamed backward toward me. It then lay wnoliy on the body of -Jellisoa. I remained perfectly still, except to take a positioa so that I should not be between the snake and the fire, and there waited- ’ The repcite kept his position, for awhile, and Jellisoa was oegmning to seel the ehill of the frosty air, so that his body shook in spite of himself- But the eold was telling on the snake likewise, and the warmth of the fire appeaiel to its feelings. As I kept quiet, it ceased to regard me. and Began to move slowly toward the blaze, and presently slid entirely otf the boiy of the man an>i glided over the blankets toward the fire. • By the time the snake was a length away I had caught -Jeltisvm by the shouhiers and pulled him up standing. 1 threw a pair of blankets over his shoulders, for be was shaking as with a fit of the ague. ‘ “ Now, old man, I said, “ yoa're all right. Hold still till I kill the snake. -

•*• H-h hold on *" said JeUison, his teeth clicking as he shivered with cold and the reietwo from his nervoos tensioa. " 6 N-n-iio mm-man k-kills that snake bnt m m-n>e f* ‘ 1 p to this point no snake had e<er been treated with greater eonsideraxioo, and we had deferred to its pre) mi ices

at every stage of the proceedings. The reptile—a mountain monster over five feet kwg—was lying in coil near the fire, basking comfortably in the glow, bat keeping h« eye on os ** every torn. Jellime picked up a revolver, and approach *“?,*’* wi ’ h . tn a few feet of the snake, fired six shots into the <o*l as if it did him good to do so. By the time be had

etuptird the pistol the snake was dead. aad pre«y thoroughly eat to pieces. The nest of the boys bad step* through all that had been gong oa. bat at the ooaad of the fine shot they etiae tumbling op ia a harry, with their gwa* in baud, ready for Indiana The business was over, however, aad there was nothing for rhe* to do. • Jelliaoa spent the next day ia eamp, with a needle aad thread, trying to get hat dothet sewed together. He said fot weeks that be could feel that snake ou hG iwcy wheaever he had down, aad bedreaared of it at nights. He was with ns for several months after, and to the last asserted that be bad never got warm all over, bat had always a eoM streak on bis body where the snake had lain.'