24 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
ing pine timber, he gave his entire attention to the chase. Soon 
he came upon a pair of baby rattlers. This was gratifying but 
not exactly what he sought, so continued his hunt. Another, 
and then another pair were found along the trail of the mother. 
He continued “mopping up” with the young ones about 18 
inches in length, hoping all the while that he would come upon 
their mother. The day was rapidly drawing to a close while 
the really big prize had eluded his grasp. Nonetheless, he 
counted it a fair day’s work and then turned homeward. To 
many, her habit of scattering her children about after such a 
careless fashion might have been somewhat of a mystery, but 
not to Uncle Dave. It was simply weaning time, and she was 
putting them out in territory which, according to her own best 
“snake judgment” was promising hunting ground. She rea¬ 
soned that if they would get out and hustle they could, in the 
midst of this oak thicket, abounding with mice and birds, pro¬ 
vide for themselves an abundant table. 
Taking his midday nap upon his porch one hot summer day 
during August or September, he awakened to peer through an 
opening where a board was missing to observe a baby rattler, 
about weaning size, coiled upon the sill of his little log cottage. 
“Well, how do you do?” he greeted him. Only a few inches 
had been separating their noses as he slept in fancied security. 
After giving him the attention his kind deserved, he called his 
sons and said to them: “I want you boys to go underneath the 
house and look for the other one. Where there is one of this 
size there belongs to be two, so get busy and look him up, but 
remember—be careful.” They had not been gone long before 
they emerged with the little mate dangling from the end of a 
sharp stick. 
This incident set the old gentleman thinking. He recalled 
his experience with the old mother out on the sand ridge. He 
recalled also, in the case just mentioned, the sign which had 
been left all about his premises the preceding Sunday while the 
family were away visiting. Now he was able to piece all the 
evidence together in such fashion that it would make sense. 
This old mother had been occupied with the task of scattering 
her little children about as the one he once pursued down by 
