CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
43 
resolve to hunt them down and destroy them as long as he 
lived. 
Now he is beginning to suspect that his foe possesses other 
and even more amazing secrets than those already disclosed— 
secrets which the cunning of men of all past ages have failed 
to uncover. Profound wisdom does not necessarily accompany 
great learning—you may find profound wisdom in the un¬ 
schooled, while those who have studied all the books and com¬ 
mitted all the facts contained therein to memory may be seri¬ 
ously lacking in wisdom. Uncle Dave, as we have so often 
stated, lays no claim to any very great learning, yet he reached 
the same conclusion as that wise old king of Israel whom we 
hear complaining that certain ways of the serpent were among 
four mysteries in this world which he could not understand— 
which he admitted puzzled him exceedingly. 
The admonition, “Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents,” was 
not uttered by mere man, neither by prophet, but by the very 
author of all creation. If a wiser being existed among the 
beasts of the field, then doubtless such creature would have 
been employed as a symbol of wisdom rather than the serpent. 
With even the limited knowledge of the reptile which we at 
present possess, we do not put it beyond him to perform in any 
manner credited to him. He appears never to resort to the 
employment of all his tricks and devices—it seems that he 
always has a store of secret arts in reserve. 
We have known this old gentleman long and intimately, and 
can testify to the fact that he has a sacred regard for the truth, 
refraining from advancing anything as a fact until he has in 
his possession evidence which is conclusive—sufficient to re¬ 
move all reasonable doubt. He admits that he knows nothing 
of science as revealed by men of college degrees, but, to quote 
his own words, “What I see with my own eyes, I believe.” 
When he has a discovery securely “pegged down,” he does not 
care particularly what any scientist thinks of it. Knowing him 
as we do, we regard him as a natural scientist—one, unfor¬ 
tunately, without college degree, but deserving of the same 
high respect. 
It is his firm conviction, though he admits that he does not 
