154 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
the mother rattler. With mouth open, in a fighting posture, 
and with the little ones running hither and yon, the layman, 
being more or less excited, insists that they slithered down her 
throat when, as a matter of fact, they concealed themselves 
in the litter, underneath tufts of grass or under rocks. 
To all of which Uncle Dave retorted: “Wall, them fellers 
jes don’t know no better, I reckon. I’m old enough to know 
one’s stomach from her other organs.” 
With such nonsense disposed of, the venerable old gentle¬ 
man sat down upon a log, took a bite of his plug tobacco, and 
began fingering in a leather pouch he carried suspended from 
his leather belt for his whetstone with which to put a keen 
edge on his hack—it was Thursday, and he must finish his 
chipping before the sun goes down. 
It is also an oft-repeated statement usually circulated by 
those who have never had broad first-hand experience, that a 
rattler has never been known to charge a human being. It Is 
quite evident that such misstatement of fact grew out of what 
is admittedly true concerning his disposition and general habits. 
It is true that he never deliberately goes courting trouble. As 
a matter of fact, he will ofttimes flee from a human being if 
by so doing he has reasonable hopes of making his way into 
bushes, briars, or grass where his chances of making his escape 
are good. Nothing appears to distress him quite so much as 
being caught upon perfectly open ground. He realizes instinc¬ 
tively that such a situation robs him of the benefit of one of his 
greatest endowments—his gift of camouflaging himself, there¬ 
by-concealing his presence from the eyes of his enemies. He 
realizes equally well that if he can reach the shrubs or other 
undergrowth where there is an accumulation of dead leaves, 
grass and straw, that his chances of escape instantly change 
from about ten to one against him to the same ratio in his 
favor. We have been witness to them breaking out of their 
coil and running with the speed of a black racer to gain the 
briar patch. Such behavior should not be mistaken for cow¬ 
ardice. If anyone should, either through ignorance of his dead¬ 
liness, or sheer recklessness, pursue-him too hotly he would 
surely turn upon him and attack with the ferocity of a demon. 
