376 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



ground-hog was swall wed; and at the end of that time 

 they found the snake ffiih that animal in its body. The 

 serpent, however, wa/ quite helpless, being unable to crawl 

 away with so large a burden, — probably three times its 

 own weight, — which it could not drag over the sticks and 

 rocks in its way. 



I am sure this is all true. 



The rattlesnake is by far the largest and most dangerous 

 of all the reptiles in these regions ; and I have sometimes 

 killed those that were five feet six inches long, and ten 

 inches in circumference below where the prey was deposited. 

 It is not spiteful, however, unless provoked. 



These snakes are of three different colors: one is almost 

 black ; another, which generally grows larger than the 

 black, is beautifully spotted with yellow diamonds ; and 

 the third is of a dirty brown, nearly the color of the 

 ground, and never grows to a large size ; but it is so very 

 wicked that it will run at a man, and bite as soon as it 

 com3s near enough to reach him. 



I .vas once making wild hay in a glade in which there 

 were hundreds of snakes, and one of my sons-in-law was 

 assisting me. I was so much afraid of the serpents that I 

 did not like to be out after night ; but after we had shocked 

 our hay, and were about to start home, seeing some young 

 horses coming toward our shocks, we staid long enough to 

 drive them off. We then left for home, which we reached 

 without coming in contact with any snakes. 



Next morning, being Sunday, after breakfast we went to 

 the glades to see if our hay was safe from the cattle, which 

 would throw it down if they came there. When we arrived 

 at our destination, seeing the same horses, we went to 

 them, and found one, a young mare, bitten on the nose by 

 a snake. I think she was four years old, and a very fine 

 anira«^ belonging to the young man's father. Before we 

 got her home she was entirely blind, and the blood was 



