BATTLERS 133 



which Conway and I found a few feet from the door 

 of our tent. We were retailing the incident with a 

 sense of importance. This was Bert's opportunity: 



"You want to be careful every night, " he re- 

 marked casually, "to look in your bed. Them rat- 

 tlers is shore tickled to git in a feller's blankets. It 

 warms 'em up like. Of course, if you git in with 

 'em and rile 'em enny they might hurt ye. It's al- 

 ways best to look." 



We must have looked depressed, for Bert seemed 

 pleased. After a moment he resumed: 



"Ef you only had a horsehair rope with you all 

 it'd be safer. Stretch one of 'em around a tent and 

 a snake '11 never cross it. I rec'lect how a partner 

 of mine a 'most got bit for not doing it once." 



Of course we clamoured for the story. We had 

 to, in self-defence. 



" 'Twa'n't much," disclaimed Bert, "as it turned 

 out. We wuz in a snake country and I 'd been sleepin ' 

 with a hair rope round my bed just to be on the 

 safe side. My pardner, fellow-by-name-of-Jenkins, 

 laughed at it. He warn't afraid of no snakes, not 

 him. 



"Well, come a moonlight night a few evenings 

 later, and I couldn't sleep nohow. Jest tossed one 

 way an' another all night. Long about one or two 

 o'clock, I reckon it was, I looked over at Jenkins, 

 sleepin' peaceful like. Thar in the moonlight, right 

 at the head of his bed, I see something bright a- 

 shinin' an' glistenin'. 



