ON THE PRAIRIE $i 



in a bunch of grass, directly beside the path. 

 Luckily it had merely hit the hard hoof, 

 breaking one of its fangs. 



Horses differ very much in their conduct 

 toward snakes. Some show great fright 

 at sight of them or on hearing their rat- 

 tles, plunging and rearing and refusing to 

 go anywhere near the spot; while others 

 have no fear of them at all, being really per- 

 fectly stupid about them. Manitou does 

 not lose his wits at all over them, but at 

 the same time takes very good care not to 

 come within striking distance. 



Ranchmen often suffer some loss among 

 their stock owing to snake-bites; both 

 horned cattle and horses, in grazing, fre- 

 quently coming on snakes and having their 

 noses or cheeks bitten. Generally, these 

 wounds are not fatal, though very uncom- 

 fortable; it is not uncommon to see a woe- 

 begone looking mule with its head double 

 the natural size, in consequence of having 

 incautiously browsed over a snake. A 

 neighbor lost a weak pony in this way ; and 



