CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
83 
effect a crossing each time he had business over on the other 
side of the road. This being Uncle Dave’s first year on this 
particular farm gave .the rattler the edge on him—he had long 
ago discovered the pipe and saw wonderful possibilities in it. 
He would use it in making his crossings, thereby leaving no 
tell-tale sign on the road. 
As might well be imagined, the longer the old gentleman 
pursues these fellows in the wild state, the more he learns of 
their varied tricks, and the more effective are the tactics he is 
able to evolve and employ in his war of extermination in which 
he has for so long been engaged. 
When he first learned that, being mated, they call each 
other at sunset and at dawn, he utilized this information in 
locating them, to the end that he might be eternally vigilant 
and observing when in the locality from which the call came. 
Knowing this, he could then formulate his plan of action. They 
exchanged calls at the close of the day and at the dawn of 
another day merely for the purpose of checking on each other’s 
locality of position. Should one or the other not answer at 
sunset or dawn, then the surviving mate knows that the worst 
has happened, or that the missing mate had run into danger 
which necessitated keeping silent. Then this disturbed mate 
would begin a diligent search for the missing mate, continuing 
until he or she was found, either dead or alive. Knowing this 
to be true, then why not tie up one and make use of it as a 
decoy with which to trap the other? Good idea! He would 
do just this! He knew positively that where there is one there 
belongs to be a mate not far away. He knew that the danger 
and difficulty of hunting out the remaining one was too great, 
and held forth little hope of yielding any return on his labor. 
So, when he encounters one about his farm, or while chipping 
his turpentine trees, he simply removes a shoestring for a loop, 
cuts himself a little pole, and proceeds to tie him out until he 
can go for his trapping outfit. 
There were two witnesses to this incident, which proves con¬ 
clusively that the rattler possesses the power to hypnotize 
small animals to the point of complete insensibility, or pos¬ 
sibly unto death. Our informant was riding horseback, in 
