AMONG THE ANIMALS OF THE YOSEMITE 207 



ing him, and a few more brutal stampings 

 crushed him. I felt degraded by the killing 

 business, farther from heaven, and I made up 

 my mind to try to be at least as fair and chari- 

 table as the snakes themselves, and to kill no 

 more save in self-defense. 



The second killing might also, I think, have 

 been avoided, and I have always felt somewhat 

 sore and guilty about it. I had built a little 

 cabin in Yosemite, and for convenience in get- 

 ting water, and for the sake of music and so- 

 ciety, I led a small stream from Yosemite Creek 

 into it. Running along the side of the wall it 

 was not in the way, and it had just fall enough 

 to ripple and sing in low, sweet tones, making 

 delightful company, especially at night when I 

 was lying awake. Then a few frogs came in 

 and made merry with the stream, — and one 

 snake, I suppose to catch the frogs. 



Returning from my long walks, I usually 

 brought home a large handful of plants, partly 

 for study, partly for ornament, and set them in 

 a corner of the cabin, with their stems in the 

 stream to keep them fresh. One day, when I 

 picked up a handful that had begun to fade, I 

 uncovered a large coiled rattler that had been 

 hiding behind the flowers. Thus suddenly 

 brought to light face to face with the rightful 

 owner of the place, the poor reptile was desper- 

 ately embarrassed, evidently realizing that he 



