18 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
dering a field not so far away. Finally his hound dog ran upon 
a rattler while in pursuit of a rabbit, the location of the rattler 
corresponding with the locality from whence the call seemed 
to come. Thereafter all was silent in the vicinity where the 
serpent was found, and from whence these mysterious calls 
seemed to come. It meant something to him that the call was 
not heard again during the entire summer. This was merely 
an incident and did not prove anything, but you may rest as¬ 
sured that it stuck in Uncle Dave’s mind like a bee in a tar 
bucket. It is worth noting that there is a variation in the call, 
sometimes wailing as described above, and on other occasions 
chirping, chattering, squawking and crying very much after 
the manner of birds when their young are being disturbed. 
Other incidents came hard upon the heels of each other, all 
of which seemed to lead this old scientist (without degree) 
nearer and nearer to definite proof of the theory he had 
evolved as to the origin of these unusual calls. On another 
occasion he took note of the same sunset call coming from a 
rough spot within his field, which was completely surrounded 
by land which had been thoroughly pulverized in the process of 
cultivation. He kept a vigilant watch as he ploughed his crops 
just to determine if he might discover tracks made by some 
animal, whose identity was not yet known to him, but not the 
slightest clue did he ever find leading in this direction. The 
note continuing, he took a walk through the spot of ground 
the next time the call was heard at sunset, to learn if he might 
flush some strange nocturnal bird which might have chosen 
this as a nesting place, but without so much as flushing a spar¬ 
row. He found no sign of animal life there; could this cry 
he had been hearing be that of a diamond-back? The final 
and convincing proof came when his dog ran upon one on this 
very spot, he having failed to find him while searching the 
place. This, along with other evidence already in his posses¬ 
sion, it seems, should have been sufficient proof on which to 
base a conviction of one charged with murder, but whatever 
vestige of doubt that might have lingered in his mind was dis¬ 
pelled when the serpent, himself, supplied the final link in the 
chain of convicting evidence. He became so enraged at the 
