A hunter's life. 371 



dropping from luuHlreds of places where the veins Ind 

 hurst tiiroiigh tlie skin. 



We got the mare home, and applied some remedies ; 

 but to no purpose, as the swelling increased continually 

 In the evening, the old man and his wife came over to try 

 and save their favorite colt; but all in vain. The swelling 

 increased until the head was entirely out of shape ; and I 

 am coiifiient, if the head had been put out of the stable- 

 door, no one could have told what it was. The eyes were 

 entirely closed, and there was nothing to show that eyes had 

 been there but a very small wrinkle in the skin. The mare 

 lived until about eight o'clock ; and I am sure that every 

 breath she drew could have been heard a quarter of a mile ; 

 such was the difficulty in her breathing. At length the 

 windpipe seemed to be altogether closed up, and she died 

 in the greatest agony. 



The next day, the young man, myself, and daughter 

 again went to making hay, as we had some grass in swath 

 which required to be spread out. We had been but a 

 short time at it when I heard a kind of scream, while I was 

 at one end of the swath and they at the other, and I saw 

 my daughter laughing at her husband, while he stood al- 

 most speechless. 



As I drew near, I heard a snake rattling at them, and 

 saw that it was one of those dirty colored fellows, which, 

 being determined on biting somebody, would jump first at 

 one, then at another ; but we kept him at good distance. 

 After the young man got over a little of his fright, — for 

 the snake had been under the swath which he was spread- 

 ing, and jumped at him two or three times, — I made a 

 pass at it with an iron fork, and one of the points entered 

 the skin of its neck. 



When the evil serpent found it could not loosen itself, 

 it twisted around in 'ill sorts of ways. I turned its head 

 toward its body, and invited it to try a bite upon its 

 32* 



