CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
9 
in our mind that Moses, the author of it, really knew his ser¬ 
pents—“NOW THE SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE 
THAN ANY BEAST OF THE FIELD WHICH THE 
LORD GOD HAD MADE” (Gen. 3-1). Uncle Dave was 
as much aware as Moses that he had taken on a crafty ad¬ 
versary, and the more he pursued him, the more his respect 
for his cunning grew. But every single bit of knowledge ac¬ 
quired touching his daily habits served to render it more difficult 
for these crafty creatures to elude him. One of the very first 
things he learned was that it was by no means safe to tread 
upon ground which had not been thoroughly combed with a 
stick or rake, if it were suspected that one was nearby. When 
pursuing one he invariably parts the grass and weeds before 
him as well as to the right and left. A stroke in the right spot 
would either cause him to move, or sing his rattles. In either 
case his presence would be revealed. Merely to give any patch 
of grass or weeds the “once-over” would not reveal his pres¬ 
ence, so artfully and ingeniously has nature camouflaged him. 
When a new trail is encountered, he loses no time following 
it up, but before wasting any time, it is imperative that he first 
learn which way his enemy has gone. The tracks of most 
animals speak readily, and to the point, but in the case of the 
serpent a mere glance reveals nothing of value, and the novice 
would, often as not, get on back-track instead of following 
the course the serpent actually went, thereby losing much val¬ 
uable time, and perchance his quarry. So, bowing down upon 
his knees, in order to view the trail at close range, Uncle Dave 
will soon be in possession of this vital information. He views 
things in their minutest detail, overlooking nothing. Every 
tiny stick over which he has crawled, every clot of earth which 
has been moved all tell an unerring story. Should he push a 
clot of earth to one side, it is a very easy matter to locate its 
original position, and then take note of the direction in which 
it was moved. A small stick might likewise be moved in the 
same manner. Its original position can very easily be deter¬ 
mined, provided there has been recent rains. The direction of 
its new position is sure to be the direction in which he has gone. 
The direction of his travel can be determined in still another 
