CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
201 
True to his vow, the Southern soldier whose life had been 
spared almost by a miracle of the first order, entered the min¬ 
istry, serving in an humble capacity until his strength had so 
forsaken him that he was no longer able to perform his active 
duties as a pastor. Nevertheless, he continued faithful to the 
end of his days, and never tired of giving testimony to the 
goodness, mercy and protecting hand of his Divine Master. 
Not to detract anything from the faith of the old gentleman, 
who always believed that his life had been spared by reason of 
Divine intervention, it is a known fact that the last thing a 
rattler wants after it has entered into hibernation is to make an 
attack, unless he be uncovered, or withdrawn from his place of 
concealment. He merely behaved in a manner quite in keeping 
with his nature. In the Western states, owls and prairie dogs 
of the plains share their dens with them and do not seem to 
fear their presence. In the South, rabbits, gophers, skunks and 
other animals spend much time in the same retreats with them 
without any apparent fear of being harmed by them. In this 
respect, creatures have an instinct that is superior to human 
reason. All in all, the rattlesnake rarely attacks except in his 
own defense, or when in pursuit of prey. If he uses his deadly 
fangs, it is because he has reason to believe that his own safety 
is in danger. 
While the distribution of dangerous snakes in the United 
States may seem a great peril to those who are not thoroughly 
familiar with the characteristics of reptiles, it is true never¬ 
theless that accidents to man are rarely recorded. This circum¬ 
stance is at strong variance with other countries—South Amer¬ 
ica, Africa and India, in particular. In the latter country, the 
human death rate runs up to about 25,000 a year. In these 
tropical countries, a large part of the population goes about 
bare-legged, while venomous reptiles prowl about the imme¬ 
diate domains of man. In the United States, the poisonous 
reptiles usually retreat from the areas inhabited by man, or 
when lured thereto by reason of the pangs of hunger, exercise 
the utmost caution to the end that their paths do not cross 
that of man. 
Holbrook describes the Banded Rattlesnake as remarkably 
