288 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
close under which we had to pass, a snake was ex- 
pected to precipitate itself upon us, and every time 
we had to grasp the rock to help ourselves over a 
difficult place we were in danger of grasping also a 
snake, while from him walking on ahead floated 
back a monologue in a minor key whose subject was 
ever the same, and of which we caught such frag- 
ments as this, " Be mighty careful now, look where 
you step! I'd rather give a thousand dollars than 
get you snake-bit up here." And so we continued 
our fearful way up the shining slopes and over the 
rocky ridges of Cold Mountain on a bright summer 
day. 
That there are snakes, the names of the many 
Rattlesnake Ridges, Dens, Knobs, and Mountains, 
stand as evidence, and that there are certain dry, 
rocky places frequented by these reptiles, there is 
no doubt, certain parts of Cold Mountain, we were 
told, being infested with them ; yet few people have 
been bitten, as the rattlesnake never acts on the 
offensive, but tries to escape unless cornered or 
frightened, and it does not strike without giving 
warning. 
Having wandered over these mountains at short 
intervals for more than a dozen years, and never 
having seen a living rattlesnake and but very few 
dead ones, one seldom thinks of them. The only 
precaution necessary is to be careful about going 
into huckleberry bushes or other thickets where the 
growth is so close that you cannot see the ground. 
No one can blame a snake for striking if it is stepped 
