CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
163 
prey less persistent than themselves, such as birds, rats, rab¬ 
bits, squirrels, etc. With the intelligent dog, or with a strictly 
normal adult human being, they have no chance whatever. It 
might be added that human hypnotists experience greater diffi¬ 
culty with persons of strong minds and wills than with those 
of the opposite type. It played to his hand that she observed 
with care the husband’s instructions not to take her eyes off 
him. 
Returning in haste with his gun, the husband witnessed the 
almost unbearable spectacle of seeing his wife swoon and fall 
upon the exact spot, as he thought, where the rattler was 
coiled. His distress was somewhat relieved on reaching the 
spot as he learned that while his wife was unconscious she was 
otherwise unharmed—she had not quite fallen upon the rep¬ 
tile, still she was within striking distance of him, which pre¬ 
sented a pressing problem of very grave concern to him. How 
was he to remove her from the scene without inviting a sudden 
thrust? Under the stress of such an exacting situation, he 
managed to exercise surprising judgment. At close range, and 
with unerring aim, the load of birdshot carried the head away 
completely, rolling the body a safe distance from his uncon¬ 
scious wife. 
When this lady had completely recovered from this dreadful 
ordeal, she told an amazing story—a story which may serve 
to clear up the queer behavior of small animals when similarly 
exposed to the wiles of the serpent. When the lady had again 
become normal, she reviewed her experiences—telling how, 
after listening some time to the whir-r-r-r of his rattles, her 
hearing became confused. It seemed, she said, that there were 
rattlers everywhere. No matter which way she turned, the 
sound of his rattles was directly in front of her—first to the 
left, then to the right, as well as to her back. When she had 
looked upon him for several minutes her eyes next became con¬ 
fused in like manner as her ears. When she turned from him 
he reappeared in front of her, no matter in which direction she 
turned. Then, looking again upon the spot where all her other 
senses told her he was, he was wholly invisible. 
We have related briefly the substance of the lady’s account 
