THE CROTALUS.
There are several species of rattlesnakes found in California, among
which are the black, spotted and striped. Some of them grow to an
enormous size and are anything but pleasant strangers to encounter,
especially when you come upon them suddenly and find them coiled. It is
a peculiarity of these specimens of the _Crotalus_ of America that they
strike only from the coil, are easily killed, and generally, although
_not always_, do they rattle before they dart forward their poisonous
fangs.
We can conceive of nothing upon the face of this beautiful earth more
shudderingly repulsive than a rattlesnake. The arrowy head, and shiny,
flabby body, with its glistening scales and variegated color, its
tapering tail, with that dreadful arrangement by which it imitates so
closely the _whirr_ of the locust, the bead-like eyes, with no lids and
a fleshy film dropping over them--all these make up the most terrible
reptile found on the American continent.
And then imagine one of these creatures _coiled_! The thick, heavy body
with the tail projecting upward from the center, the head drawn back,
and the red, cavernous mouth open, with the curved, hollow teeth and the
sacs at their roots filled nigh to bursting with this concentrated
essence of the vilest of all poison--imagine this, we say--but don't do
it either! If you have never seen a rattlesnake, don't go near one,
unless you have a chance to kill it, even if his fangs have been
extracted. The heel shall bruise the serpent, and that is the best use
to which they can be put.
But as Howard Lawrence opened his eyes, in the dull light of this summer
morning, he saw coiled within five feet of him a striped rattlesnake,
its intensely black eyes fairly scintillating light, and its rattle
gently waving but making no noise.
In a single second his true peril flashed upon him. If he moved the
reptile would strike. He might throw himself suddenly backward, but in
that case if he escaped, the malignant fangs would be buried in the
sleeping Elwood ere he could open his eyes and understand the danger
that threatened him. And he was afraid, too, to speak to him and Tim in
the hope of awaking them. There would be blundering upon their part, and
blundering meant but one thing--death.
Howard looked straight at the serpent's eyes and became conscious of a
strange sensation passing through him. The small, black orbs seemed to
advance, shrink and float away through the air, enchaining his own
vision until the will, which had so vehemently repelled the danger grew
indifferent, and the thought of peril merged into a vague, dreamy
semi-consciousness, which, while it took knowledge of the terrible
reptile, coiled and ready to strike, yet failed to impress the mind with
the energy to withdraw from its terrible power. His blood slowly
chilled, as if vein by vein it froze throughout his person, until from
head to foot the vital current was congealed. At times he strove to
move, or more properly sought, in the mysterious make-up of our
composition, to rouse the will from its torpor, but with the same result
as follows the effort of the sufferer to use his paralyzed limb. The
will seemed to make a feeble twitch or two and then subside, unable to
break the fatal spell spreading over his mind and faculties. The eyes of
the reptile glared upon his own, their bead-like blackness taking the
form of a point of fire waving, floating, gyrating and circling in the
air, doubling in and out in rings of the rainbow's hues, melting away
into the distance, then drifting forward until mingled with his own, up
and down in the same bewildering maze of color and design that visits
the patient when lost in the delirium of fever. And all the time it was
as if the rattlesnake was conscious of the dreadful power he held over
his victim. Its arrowy head and long neck were started silently toward
him, as if threatening instant destruction; and then, like the cat
toying with her victim, it was withdrawn again, and the spell deepened
and increased. A strange whirl passed through the mind of the boy. By a
violent attempt to call in his wandering thoughts he gathered an idea of
the mortal danger impending over him, but he could not centralize his
mental powers.
The bewildering sensations were somewhat similar to that of a man whose
brain has received a violent concussion--the mysterious chambers and
channels through which thought forced its way were choked up and the
subtle impetus recoiled, powerless to perform its function. He felt the
necessity of clear, vigorous thought, but his dull brain would not
work--the cold incubus upon it chilled it through and through; and all
the time the malignantly beautiful reptile was partly coiling and
uncoiling, the articulated ring giving a faint rattle, as if caused by
the slight vibration of its body. After a while the serpent lay still,
but never once was its eye removed from its victim. It was growing tired
of dallying with its prey and was making ready to strike. The coil
became close and compact, the rattle rising from the center, and the eye
assumed a clear, metallic sharpness that appeared to throw forward its
fateful rays into his own. He saw that the sport was done and the snake
was ready to strike; he strove to move, but could not; he essayed to
speak, but the words choked him unuttered. He saw the reptile calling in
its strength and----
_"Quick, Howard, draw the blanket over you! He can't strike through
that!"_
The practical, energetic words of Elwood Brandon, whom he had imagined
asleep at his side, broke the dreadful spell that had enchained Howard.
He felt the mist pass from his eyes, his mind threw off the incubus
which had borne it down, and he was himself again, with clear mental
powers.
His right hand lay upon the thick blanket, and sensible of his extreme
peril, he quickly closed it, grasping the edge firmly, and then threw
himself over upon his face and against his cousin, but covering both
their bodies at the same instant with the heavy, closely-knit cloth.
At the very moment of doing so the angry locust-like ring of the reptile
and a sharp thrust against the blanket as if struck by a small stick
announced that it has given its blow.
Howard and Elwood both shouted to Tim to come to their assistance; but
ere he could respond a rush was heard, followed by a fierce growl, and
they understood at once that Terror had appeared upon the scene.
They let him rage for a few moments and then, Tim having informed them
that the snake was "kilt entirely," they cautiously crept forth. As they
looked furtively around they saw at once that the Newfoundland had done
his work well. The reptile was torn into shreds and strewn over an area
of several yards. Its fangs had entered the blanket where, while they
did not pierce through they stuck irrevocably, holding the reptile a
prisoner to the fury of the dog.
Thankful indeed were the boys for their providential escape from this
dreaded creature. Elwood had been awakened by its slight rattling, when,
suspecting the danger that was closing around his cousin, he uttered the
warning words which we have given and which proved the means of robbing
the blow of the reptile of its danger.
The fangs were carefully extracted from the blanket, and Howard declared
his intention of preserving them as a curiosity; but within a half-hour
after leaving the camp they were lost, and he did not judge it worth
while to search for them.