50 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
darkey, they being prety well acquainted by this time. Event¬ 
ually the overseer came along and the darkey related his expe¬ 
rience. Being asked to look the rattler up for him, he shot the 
head off him. So-. 
This warfare between men and reptiles is as old as the 
human race, and it is but natural that he should regard the 
slightest menacing gesture as a threat upon his life. 
One whose nerves have been thoroughly steeled by reason 
of many such previous experiences would pass on out of dan¬ 
ger with steady stride, pretending that he had never seen the 
rattler, then turn back and take him captive, or either make 
an end of him. To the uninitiated this would appear more like 
the conduct of a nitwit, but when undertaken with perfect calm, 
soon becomes mere routine. 
We had occasion once to take the lead in the capture of as 
large a specimen as it has ever been our privilege to view in 
captivity. He was lying outside the hole on a warm day in 
early March. He was lithe and full of action. It was an occa¬ 
sion seldom enjoyed to make some really worthwhile photo¬ 
graphs and general observations. This, incidentally, being our 
chief interest in the hunt, we assumed all the real danger, per¬ 
mitting the assistant to stand at a safe distance for the purpose 
of rendering aid if called for. 
Lowering the noose directly in front of his nose, we gave 
it a few backward thrusts to get same past his large square 
jaws. Using a stick only one-half the length of the serpent, we 
were secretly hoping that he would not make a scene. Even 
while we speculated over such eventuality he dashed with such 
speed that we lost sight of him. This six-foot stick of dyna¬ 
mite raced through the noose with such speed that we were 
defeated utterly in our effort to take up the slack in the loop. It 
became necessary to turn our head quickly and focus upon him 
again. He performed a semi-circle, going about ten or fifteen 
feet down the hill, then wheeling suddenly and heading directly 
for his hole. We had blocked the entrance to his underground 
quarters with the spade and took up a position almost imme¬ 
diately in front of it. As he sped over the dead wiregrass and 
litter his “ground-grip” tires literally whistled—“Z-e-e-e-r-”— 
