56 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
Whatever Fate it is that determines men’s destinies decreed 
that he should fall directly into the coil of one of these brutes. 
Immediately came the whir-r-r, accompanied by a swish and 
sickening thud. No member of the party need be told what 
had happened. The lad fell to the ground, not by reason of 
the paralyzing effect of the venom, but rather by the sheer 
force of the blow dealt him. He arose quickly, only to be dealt 
a second blow which threw him to the ground again. Arising 
once more, he took the third and final stroke. This time he 
failed to regain his feet. The other children quickly centered 
about him, forming themselves into a human chain, and 
reached him a hand that he might be drawn away to a place 
of safety. The remainder of the story need not be told. 
On occasions such as this, when the last rites had been paid 
this unfortunate chap, men talked together in subdued tones. 
It is always the consensus of opinion that the county, state, or 
the federal government should take action. Somebody should 
do something, but it becomes the age-old story of what is every¬ 
body’s business is nobody’s business. Subsequent to this unfor¬ 
tunate occurrence came the attack upon Uncle Dave’s sons. 
These tragic incidents so worked upon his mind that he finally 
reached the conclusion that, regardless, he would undertake 
the task himself. 
Men of the community, neighbors and friends of the stricken 
family, conceived the idea of burning the old bayou, which 
afforded him almost perfect protection. 
Now after this fiery tempest had spent itself, few casual 
observers, viewing the scene of it, would have voiced the 
opinion that such a creature could have escaped all this fury 
unscathed. The tallest living trees were seared to the topmost 
boughs. The smaller ones, including palmetto and underbrush, 
were reduced to heaps of bleached ashes. It being dry weather, 
most of the topsoil, composed almost wholly of decayed vege¬ 
table matter, had been consumed down to the natural soil. Yet 
the trail of the rattler pointed unerringly to the fact that he 
had escaped without injury. Fire had been strewn entirely 
around this dense jungle spot, leaving him seemingly without 
any possible avenue of escape. 
