Wild Western Scenes Part 44

"I know what's the matter with him--he's in love!" said Joe.

"Then why don't he take her?" asked Sneak.

"I don't know," replied Joe; "maybe he will, some day. Now for a ride--how are you, Pete?" he continued, opening the stable door and rubbing the pony's head that was instantly thrust out in salutation.

"I'll ride the hoss," said Sneak.

"Will you? I'm glad of it," said Joe, "for that'll save me the trouble of leading him."

"That's jest what I come for," said Sneak, "becaise this hot morning the snakes are too thick to fight 'em on foot."

"Can you see many of them at a time?"

"Well, I reckon you kin."

"Won't they bite the horses?"

"No, the hosses knows what a snake is as well as a man, and they'll keep a bright eye for 'emselves, while we stave out their brains with our poles," said Sneak.

In a few minutes the companions were mounted, and with the fawn skipping in advance, and the hounds in the rear, they proceeded gayly out toward the prairie on a _snaking_ expedition.

The sunlight was now intensely brilliant, and the atmosphere, though laden with the sweet perfume of the countless millions of wild flowers, began to a.s.sume a sultriness that soon caused the horses and hounds to loll out their tongues and pant as they bounded through the rank gra.s.s. Ere long the riders drew near a partially barren spot in the prairie, where from some singular cause the gra.s.s was not more than three inches high. This spot was circular, about fifty paces in diameter, and in the centre was a pool of bright water, some fifty feet in circ.u.mference. The gra.s.s growing round this spot was tall and luxuriant, and terminated as abruptly at the edge of the circle as if a mower had pa.s.sed along with his sharp scythe.

"Sneak, I never saw that before," said Joe, as they approached, while yet some forty paces distant. "What does it mean?"

"You'll see presently," said his companion, grasping more firmly the thick end of his rod, as if preparing to deal a blow. "When I was out here this morning," he continued, "they were too thick for me, and I had to make tracks."

"What were too thick for you?" asked Joe, with a singular anxiety, and at the same time reining in his pony.

"Why, the _snakes_," said Sneak with much deliberation. "I was a-foot then, and from the style in which they whizzed through the gra.s.s, I was afraid too many might git on me at a time and choke me to death.

But now I'm ready for 'em; they can't git us if we manage korect."

"I won't go!" said Joe.

"Dod, they ain't pisen!" said Sneak; "they're nearly all _black racers_, and they don't bite. Come on, don't be such a tarnation coward; the rattlesnakes, and copper-heads, and wipers, won't run after us; and if they was to, they couldn't reach up to our legs. This is a glorious day for _snaking_--come on, Joe!"

Joe followed at a very slow and cautious pace a few steps farther, and then halted again.

"What're you stopping for agin?" asked Sneak.

"Sneak, the pony ain't tall enough!"

"That's all the better," replied Sneak; "you can whack 'em easier as they run--and then they can't see you as fur as they kin me. I'll swap hosses with you."

"No you won't!" replied Joe, whipping forward again. But he had not advanced many seconds before he drew up once more. This time he was attracted by the unaccountable motions of the fawn, a short distance ahead. That animal was apparently striking some object on the ground with its feet, and ever and anon springing violently to one side or the other. Its hair stood erect on its back, and it a.s.sumed a most ferocious aspect. Now it would run back toward the men a moment, and, wheeling suddenly, again leap upon the foe, when its feet could be heard to strike against the ground; then it plunged forward, and after making a spring beyond, would return to the attach.

"Here, Ringwood! Jowler!" cried Joe, and the hounds ran forward to the spot pointed out to them. But no sooner had they gone far enough to see the nature of the enemy that the fawn was attacking, than they turned away affrighted, and with their tails hanging down retreated from the scene of action.

They rode up and surveyed more closely the strange battle. The fawn, becoming more and more enraged, did not suspend hostilities at their approach. They paused involuntarily when, within a few feet of the object, which proved to be a tremendous rattlesnake, some five feet in length, and as thick as a man's arm. It was nearly dead, its body, neck, and head, exhibited many b.l.o.o.d.y gashes cut by the sharp hoofs of the fawn. Every time the fawn sprang upon it, it endeavoured in vain to strike its fangs into its active foe, which sprang away in a twinkling, and before it could prepare to strike again, the fatal hoofs would inflict another wound on its devoted head. It grew weaker and weaker, and finally turned over on its back, when the infuriated deer, no longer compelled to observe cautionary measures, soon severed its head entirely from the body and stood over it in triumph.

[Ill.u.s.tration: It grew weaker and weaker, and finally turned over on its back.--P. 247]

"Pete can do that if a deer can!" said Joe, somewhat emboldened at the death of so formidable a reptile, and beholding the fixed though composed gaze of the pony as he stood with his head turned sideways towards the weltering snake.

"Sartinly he kin," said Sneak, standing up in his stirrups, and stretching his long neck to its utmost tension to see if any snakes were in the open area before them.

"Do you see any, Sneak?" asked Joe, now grasping his rod and anxious for the fray.

"I see a few--about forty, I guess, lying in the sun at the edge of the water."

"Sneak, there's too many of them," said Joe.

"Dod--you ain't a going to back out now, I hope. Don't you see your pony snuffing at 'em? He wants to dash right in among 'em."

"No he don't," said Joe--"he don't like the smell, nor I either--faugh!"

"Why, it smells like May-apples--I like it," said Sneak; "but there ain't more than one or two copper-heads there--they're most all racers. Come on, Joe--we must gallop right through and mash their heads with our sticks as we pa.s.s. Then after a little while we must turn and dash back agin--that's the way to fix 'em."

"You must go before," said Joe.

The number that Sneak mentioned was not exaggerated. On the contrary, additions were constantly made to the number. The surface of the pool was continually agitated by the darting serpents striking at the tadpoles and frogs, while on the margin many were writhing in various fantastic contortions in their sports. Nearly all of them were large, and some could not have been less than eleven feet long. They were evidently enjoying the warm rays of the sun, and at times skipped about with unwonted animation. Now one of the largest would elevate his black head some four feet from the ground, while the others wrapped themselves around him, and thus formed the dark and horrid spectacle of a pyramid of snakes! Then falling prostrate with their own weight, in less than a twinkling they were dispersed and flying over the smooth short gra.s.s in every direction, their innumerable scales all the time emitting a low buzzing sound as they ran along.

Every moment others glided into the area from the tall gra.s.s, and those a.s.sembled thither rushed towards them in a body to manifest a welcome.

"Now's the time!" cried Sneak, rus.h.i.+ng forward, followed by Joe. When Joe's eyes fell upon the black ma.s.s of serpents, he made a convulsive grasp at the reins with an involuntary resolution to retreat without delay from such a frightful scene. But the violence of his grasp severed the reins from the bit, and the pony sprang forward after the steed, being no longer subject to his control! There was no retreating now! Sneak levelled his rod at a cl.u.s.ter just forming in a ma.s.s two feet above the ground, and crushed the hydra at a blow! Joe closed his eyes, and struck he knew not what--but Sneak knew, for the blow descended on his head--though with feeble force. In an instant the hors.e.m.e.n had pa.s.sed to the opposite side of the area and halted in the tall gra.s.s. Looking back, they beheld a great commotion among the surviving snakes. Some glided into the pool, and with bodies submerged, elevated their heads above the surface and darted out their tongues fiercely. Others raced round the scene of slaughter with their heads full four feet high, or gathered about the dead and dying, and lashed the air with their sharp tails, producing sounds like the cracking of whips. The few copper-heads and rattlesnakes present coiled themselves up with their heads in the centre in readiness to strike their poison into whatever object came within their reach.

So sudden had been the onset of the hors.e.m.e.n that the surprised serpents seemed to be ignorant of the nature of the foe, and instead of flying to the long gra.s.s to avoid a recurrence of bloodshed, they continued to glide round the pool, while their number increased every moment.

"What'd you hit me on the head for?" asked Sneak, after regarding the snakes a moment, and then turning to Joe, the pony having still kept at the heels of the steed in spite of his rider's efforts to the contrary.

"Oh, Sneak," cried Joe, in tones somewhat tremulous, "do, for goodness' sake, let us go away from here!"

"I sha'n't do any such thing--what'd you hit me on the head for?"

"I thought I was a killing a snake," replied Joe.

"Do I look like a snake?" continued Sneak, turning round, when for the first time he discovered the condition of his companion's bridle.

"Sneak, let's ride away!" said Joe.

"And leave all them black sarpents yander poking out their tongues at us? I won't go till I wear out this pole on 'em. Ha! ha! ha! I thought you hadn't s.p.u.n.k enough to gallup through 'em on your own accord,"

said Sneak, looking at the pony, and knowing that he would follow the steed always, if left to his own inclination.

"Come, Sneak, let's go home!" continued Joe, in a supplicating tone.

"Come! let's charge on the snakes agin!" said Sneak, raising the rod, and fixing his feet in the stirrups.

"Hang me if I go there again!" said Joe, throwing down his rod.