the mule was hesitating while the log moved uncer- 
lly. To turn back or dismount was impossible; there 
s. nothing to do but force the animal on over and take 
chances, so drawing the reins tight and throwing my 
t but of the stirrups, that I might have a better chance 
we fell, I forced the mule across, though it was a 
td deal like riding on a tight rope, 
iy good fortune T got over safely, and when the 
htened peon — my guide — found his voice, he said, "I 
uld have told you to dismount before you reached it, 
if you can ride like that you had better keep your 
die, it will be safer for you and for the mule, too." 
we struggled on down, but the dangers were not over, 
a turn where the trail was Very steep, I could see the 
:k made in the tall grass where two mules had gone 
ng down to destruction. Just at this point my mule 
ned to lose control of herself and began to slip to- 
d this fatal spot, and there seemed no way to check • 
; she tried to pull back, but the soft mud afforded no 
bold, and we were just slipping over when she braced 
forefeet, and then managed to turn herself, hesitated 
veen falling and going on for an instant, and/then we 
led on down for the next turn. 
P. .it went, and all the while there was a heavy strain on 
crupper of my saddle; finally, at a critical moment, it 
ce. the saddle slipped forward, and I found myself 
jing over space with nothing but a mule's neck be- 
;n me and destruction. My first feeling was to jump 
try to catch the tall grass as I fell; then I shouted-to 
peon, who, just a few feet from me, was frightened 
uselessness, and he simply stood and looked. I kept 
ing on the reins to make the mule keep her head up ; 
was slipping, and I could feel the bank giving way 
le trampled on it to get a foothold. Far below me I 
d see a river rushing along, and it seemed only a 
er of an instant, but here the path was very narrow, 
I found that by reaching back over my head with 
hand I could grasp the roots of the grass above 
and so soon as the mule was relieved of my weight • 
■egained the path, and we were both safe, 
ie peon repaired the crupper and I rode on down, but 
1 I got to the bottom of that mountain the strain and 
t had been so great I was absolutely played out, and 
to rest for an hour before I could sit on my saddle 
Francis C. Nicholas. 
AN. Ii, 1902.) 
AND STREAM. 
2B 
Man and Brute, 
[E truth is that our ideas of and relations with the 
3 animals are based upon egotism and stupid self- 
it. For instance, we are fond of referring to some 
jr meanest actions as "brutal" when, as a matter of 
the brutes are never guilty of anything like them, 
daily press seldom fails to recount some "brutal" 
f violence, committed by some male ruffian against 
man. But no male brute ever offers violence of any 
to the female of his own kind. Only man is low 
gh and vile enough for that. The man who slugs 
robs a woman, the wife-beater, the violator of 
en, the child-abuser, those who assail the old, the 
, the helpless of their kind — these are not "brutes," 
ire their actions "brutal." They are solely and es- 
ally and characteristically human. Moreover, it is 
we who go out of our way to assail without cause 
ures of other kinds than ourselves, who destroy for 
rt," who vivisect, who abuse in all the innumerable 
helplessness is victimized by wanton power. Ex- 
in obedience to the laws of self-preservation and self- 
tuation, the brutes let each other alone, to live 
y and unmolested lives, Most of them, would ask 
etter fate at the hands of men. 
olution works down as well as up. The hog in his 
alty can learn from us. The man who is called a 
y dog" as a rule is complimented far beyond his 
ts. What could be more absurd than "puppy" or 
lent puppy" as terms of reproach? There is not in 
orld a gentler or more lovable little creature than a 
r. When we speak of "leading a dog's life" or say 
vas treated like a dog," whose is the blame and the 
e that a dog should ever be so treated as to make that 
nent a synonym for insolence, contempt and abuse? 
dy else treats dogs that way except ourselves. Upon 
1 does the cruel treatment of any animal, however 
lificant, reflect? Upon the animal or upon us who 
ie it? When it comes to being an "ass" it is well 
n that the ass is the superior of the horse in intelli- 
while in docility and affection he compares favor- 
vith any animal. 
course, such uses of the words come down to us 
a time when the real nature and importance of the 
animals were little understood or considered. But 
still survives in the hearts of a vast majority of 
e a feeling of contempt for these creatures from 
we can all learn valuable lessons in character and 
ict, and, most of all, those who despise them most, 
lects seriously on our fairness and intelligence that 
se modern days we still regard as "brutal," actions 
spicable that man alone is capable of them. It is 
the headline writers on the daily press expunged 
ords "brute" and "brutal" from their vocabularies 
ey are ready to use the words with propriety and 
itency. It is a valuable lesson for us to consider 
undeniable facts, to regard with humility the dumb 
res who understand us better than we do them, and 
mit with shame our stupid cruelty and cowardice 
ising their helplessness. 
Edwin Whitehead. 
Wet Days in North Carolina* 
kory. N. C, Dec. 29.— No, it does not rain in North 
na all the time, for it has snowed some. One day 
> weeks fit to hunt. Rain, snow, sleet, gob o' mud 
ax heel. Wuh ! I am going down the pike before 
veb-footed. Pink Edge. 
Southern Shooting 1 Grounds. 
ders of Forest and Stream who are seeking South- 
iooting or fishing grounds will be given informa- 
bout desirable points by writing to the Forest and 
M Information Bureau, 
— 
Rattlers. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I read with interest what Camerambler said regarding 
Florida rattlers. I was somewhat surprised, however, to 
read his statement that the rattler killed by him, which, he 
said, was fully six feet long, was considered a large one of 
its kind. Although I have never visited Florida, my im- 
pression is that the rattlers there are often much larger 
than the one mentioned by your correspondent. In this I 
may, of course, be mistaken, but I have in my collection 
the skin of a Florida rattler which now measures 58 inches 
in length and 7% inches in width. I have had it a long 
time, and apparently it has shrunk a good deal since it 
was taken from the snake, and was cut off some distance 
from the head and the rattles. In tanning a large portion 
of the belly was cut off, but judging from the present 
form, I should say the skin was originally 16 or more 
inches in width. The dark stripe on the back measures 
5 inches,^ and the largest diamond a trifle over 3 inches in 
width. The broadest scales on the skin are a little over 
y 2 inch wide, and those on the back average Y% of an inch 
in length. The smallest diamond on the neck is over ij^ 
inches in breadth, and the smallest one on the tail that, is 
plainly marked is fully as wide. There are thirteen rattles 
and a button, the total length being 2^ inches and the 
width % of an inch. This snake was killed several years 
ago by George A. Irwin, of Jacksonville, Fla., near Lake 
Pithlachoco, with a .25-caliber rifle. He sent it to me 
merely as a specimen of the Florida rattler, without com- 
ment as to its comparative size. It would seem, there- 
fore, that it was merely a snake my friend happened to 
see and kill, and was not selected on account of its size. 
While I was in the Southwest several years ago, I killed 
scores of the rattlers commonly found there, and col- 
lected, if I remember correctly, over 100 sets of rattles, the 
largest number of rattles taken from any one snake being 
about twenty, although I do not remember killing any 
rattler that was longer than 30 inches or thereabouts. 
The average number of rattles was, I think, about ten, and 
one little snake that I caught in the sagatone grass was 
less than 3 inches long, and had a well-defined button as a 
starter. In that country I often heard doubt expressed 
that the rattles indicated a snake's age. 
It is always the biggest fish that gets away, and so 'it 
seems with the largest snake I ever had the opportunity 
of seeing. A friend of mine, a soldier, was cutting grass 
in a mountain meadow one day when a large rattler was 
stirred up alongside the horses. Apparently it rattled 
and was looking for something to strike at when the sickle 
came along on its errand of destruction, and by the time 
the indolent snake was ready to strike the knife caught 
it and it was cut into a score of pieces. The rattles were 
cut up along with the snake, but the pieces were after- 
ward put together and the rattles estimated to number 
from twenty-four to twenty-eight, although they were so 
badly mutilated that the estimate might have been wide 
either way. The people in that country were fond of 
telling tenderfeet stories about the distances rattlesnakes 
could jump, and, in order to prove the truth or fallacy of 
these statements, I often experimented with good-sized 
rattlers, standing at a safe distance and prodding them 
with the butt of a rifle or a long stick. I never saw a 
single individual that would move toward me any further 
than about one-third of its length; and that in striking. 
When very angry through being teased, one would some- 
times strike with such force as to lose its balance and 
fall headlong, as it were. Further than this I never suc- 
ceeded in inducing one to advance toward me; on the 
contrary, after much bluster and considerable coiling and 
striking, they would invariably try to run away. There 
the cowboys and others entertained considerable con- 
tempt for the rattler, and I do not recollect that antidotes 
for their bites were kept on hand, unless it might have 
been some very bad brands of sutler whisky. 
Perry D. Frazer. 
A Woodland Tragedy. 
Nothing is more interesting to a lover of out-door 
life than the self-written histories of wild animals that 
may be read in their footprints on the snow in the win- 
ter time. By following these tracks one can gain a 
clearer insight into the lives of these seldom seen deni- 
zens of the forest, than can be had in any other way 
short of actual observation. 
The fox and the skunk respectively are the greatest 
nocturnal wanderers. Often I have followed the track 
of the latter, an interesting and much maligned animal, 
and I have come to the conclusion that many of his 
journeys have been taken merely for exercise, for I have 
frequently seen where he had left his den and traveled 
for some distance without apparent object and then re- 
turned to his hole. 
My interest in a skunk's track has waned since the day 
I trailed one into a hollow rotten log which caved in as 
I stepped upon it, letting me down upon the skunk, who 
was still inside. He resented my sudden appearance in 
his characteristic manner, and I made a hasty exit from 
the scene. It was quite impossible for me to be self- 
conceited for several days thereafter. 
But a fox track! I am afraid to say how many miles 
I have wandered while following these, to me, most 
fascinating footprints. 
Here he dug a hole into this rotten log in search of 
grubs; here he dashed up and down this old fence in a 
vain effort to capture a red squirrel whose footprints 
we can see on the rails, and who finally found a safe 
refuge in this hollow log; and further on we find where 
Reynard made a detour into a cornfield where he bur- 
rowed into a shock in search of field mice. 
One incident showing how foxes hunt in couples was 
so interesting to me that I venture to set it down. 
I was out rabbit hunting one winter afternoon with a 
beagle, but, though the dog soon started the game. I 
found I was not to secure a shot, as the little animal 
wisely kept within the confines of an impenetrable thicket; 
and after a long wait I decided that if I was to dine off 
"?fu T ?- abbit " 1 would have to hunt up another member 
of the family. 
Half a mile away I knew where one had his burrow 
at the foot of a large maple. He had been waxing fat 
all winter on our sweet corn, and in imagination I saw 
lum on the platter roasted to a rich brown, and I licked 
my hps in anticipation. 
Herein, however, I was doomed to disappointment for 
on peering around a clump of evergreens near the hole 
saw that a more expert hunter had been there before 
me. I walked up to the burrow and spent some time 
examining the tracks around it, and this is the result of 
my observation. 
The previous night two foxes had come along the lower 
log road which left the forest at a point near the bur- 
! f had b ? en traveling in single file fox-fashion, 
w \lu two , st fPP m 8- «to the footprints of number one! 
When they had reached a point a few rods from the hole 
Ih-Z & A a\ - SaW u ° r scented the rabbit - f0J - both had 
dropped flat in the snow and crawled forward a few yards 
to the shelter of a inllock, where they evidently laid 
their p ans for the capture of bunny, who was out in the 
cornfield eating what proved to be his last meal 
brom the hillock one fox had crept forward, pushing 
he light snow up in front of him, so that he must hav? 
been completely hidden from view. In this manner he 
made his way onward till within ten feet of the hole 
on top oUt 3 C ° Uple ° f b ° Unds that had brou S ht hl 'm 
In the meantime the second fox had made a long cir- 
cuit over the hill and crept down upon the intended 
victim from whom he was hidden by a rail fence. When 
opposite bunny, and about twenty yards away, Reynard 
had stepped through the fence and bounded toward his 
unawarls 1 ^ 6Vidently eXpCCted to conS upoS 
"Brer Rabbit " however, was not to be caught napping- 
off ]^r S V nC l a d ° U , b ] e he had evaded hi ^°e "nd P S 
off m the direction of his burrow, the hungry fox close 
behind; and down across the field they had sped cover- 
ing eight or ten feet at every leap 
Poor bunny! How was he to know that in fleeing to 
his burrow, which had always proved a safe refuge h« 
was sealing his fate. ciugc, "« 
Down to the fence, through it, into the woods and un 
to within ten feet of the burrow, and the babbit's track 
went no further; the waiting fox had sprung ou t to meet 
n? Cre W f S a trampled s P ot in the snow, a bttle 
bunch of gray fur and a single drop of blood. 
That was all. Yet a whole woodland tragedy was writ- 
ten in these footprints in the forest 
Carlos S. Head. 
Two Bhd Incidents. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I haye two bird incidents to relate that mav be of in 
teres to the readers of Forest and StYeS? The first 
comr K,^° nfir ^ at0ry ° f - the e *Penence of one of your 
tfon Sf2? wh °. Some tin ? e - ago elated a similar observa- 
tion, attesting the proclivity of partridges to conceal 
themselves with a covering of leaves when being pursued 
w k i' n experience in this line is as follows! In No- 
son and Mr b r ng T R g"**** (quaiI > hunt > wit* my 
son, and Mr. Grantley Harper, , of Vicksburg, a single 
bird was flushed and shot by mvself. Though badlv 
wounded it flew several hundred feet and alighted withhi 
old tctthl a h Vlne " Whe ", we aPP^chf d the pSce 
tht hfl' £ 6 tCr ' W3S - a l a dead P° int on the slope of 
the bank some six or eight feet below the top where 
were some scattering bushes and cane. Mr. Harper tl- 
proached the dog from below, and scrutinizing the 
fwn i VC -7 ° S l ly announc ed that he saw the bird but 
that only its eye had caught his vision, as two dead oak 
leaves had been carefully arranged by the bird to cover 
it completely from head to tail. Furthermore, the leaves 
on the ground were not so plenty as to admit the sugges- 
S if covering of the bird by them was accidental, 
but it was evidently done with design. 
rf,KS , Har Per advanced his hand cautiously and seized 
the bird, which was probably too badly hurt to fly again 
Incident No. 2 is this: On the day after Christmas; 
In, ^nf%Tu S ° n and I Were drivin S across cou ntry 
south of Vicksburg, m a buggy, on our way to our hunt- 
ing grounds, when he called my attention to a black- 
bird that appeared to have a white tail, which showed uo 
very conspicuously when the bird was flying, and looked 
as if there was a lock of cotton attached to it. My son 
got out of the buggy to shoot the bird and inspect it 
and not having his shells unpacked took one from the 
pocket of my shooting coat, supposed to be loaded with 
JNo. 8 shot. 
He flushed the bird among the cotton stalks and 
brought it down with a long shot. 
*t ^ S .i he apporached me with it, he expressed surprise 
that the breast of the bird should have been torn off by 
such small shot at such a distance— about fifty yards 
Upon investigation it was disclosed that he had fired a 
shell loaded with buckshot that I had taken along for a 
chance shot at wild geese. 
The bird (a crow blackbird) had four pure white 
feathers in a group, about the middle of its tail 
P. S.— We brought back thirty-eight partridges and 
three doves. Coahoma. 
Clarkesdale, Miss., Jan. ]. 
The Rattlesnake "Weed, 
Bloomingdale, N. Y., Dec. 27.— Editor Forest and 
stream: I notice m your issue of the 21st an article 
relative to antidotes for the bites of venomous snakes 
and thinking that perhaps some information I have might 
prove of interest to. some of your readers, I am prompted 
to send the following: In the vicinity of Lake GeoW 
and thereabouts grows a weed which, if used in time is^a 
sure cure for the bite of a rattlesnake, and possibly other 
reptiles I regret to say I do not know its correct 
name but the local inhabitants have always called it the 
' rattlesnake weed," and few garrets you will find that 
do not contain it. It is also excellent for curing colds 
and the like. It somewhat resembles the milkweed in 
growth and general looks. 
After the patient has been bitten, as soon as possible 
