BRINGING IT HOME. 209 



him and knocked him senseless with a large clod 

 of earth ; I then tied a cord tightly round his neck, 

 and the horse being meantime found, we retraced 

 our steps to the town, my companion with the 

 horse and I with the rattlesnake, which began by 

 degrees to recover his strength in a most alarming 

 manner, making the air resound with the noise of 

 his rattles, and dragging my arms about by his 

 strong and rapid writhings. I durst not let go my 

 hold for fear of being bitten ; the efforts, therefore, 

 which I made to retain him, together with, the 

 alarm, threw me into a state of great agitation. 

 However, I arrived safely at last, and tied the ser- 

 pent to a bench, keeping down his head with my 

 foot during the operation. Next day we were 

 three at dinner ; our bill of fare included no more 

 than three eggs. What was to be done ? I pro- 

 posed that we should cook the serpent : my col- 

 league approved the idea, remarking, ' that if the 

 flesh be good we shall in future have wherewith 

 to satisfy our appetites, nay, even to exceed the 

 bounds of moderation, should we be so inclined !' 



" Accordingly, I summoned to my aid all the 

 culinary skill I possessed to dress the serpent, 

 and in a very short time it appeared on the table 

 stripped of its skin, minus the head and tail, cut 

 into small pieces, gritted and well spiced with 

 cayenne pepper. The new dish seemed palatable 



