Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1881 — An Intelligent Reptile. [ARTICLE]

An Intelligent Reptile.

“I want to tell you how my child’s life was saved up in the mountains,” said an old farmer who came into the Appeal office. “ You don’t mind an item with a snake in it, do you ?” Hearing no reply, the old man continued: “I was coming down from the lake with my little girl, when I stopped at a spring, my bottle having given out. While I was drinking the horse got frightened and dashed down the road with the child in the wagon. I only have twelve girls, sir, and wouldn’t spoil the set for worlds. Well, I gave up the horse and child for lost, but I followed them up, and presently found the horse right on the edge of a precipice, at a dead standstill. He couldn’t move an inch. Wfien I got closer I thought a strap had caught round hi§ fetlocfc and ope and alsq

a tree. I went to pull the strap, and I jumped about ten feet, for burst me clear open if it wasn’t a rattlesnake that wm holding the horse. He had wuUnd his tail around the.hoiWs leg; afid his neck wa* turned tHFeb nines r Around a sapliiig, And hfe teeth were fast iii the wood. He Was twelve feet long,, six, for I measured him right then And there'. A few pounds ifidre ( of. stitein wotild have snapped thg s&ike. clear in two. I got the horse away from the precipice. And I might as well tell you the whole truth. The snake wasn’t over five feet long, for when I took the strain off he came right back to his natural size. You know how elastic a snake is. The child is 4 years old, and wasn’t frightened in the least. If you put this item in the weekly send me four copies—l want, ’efn for relatives in the East. "—Carson (Nev.) Appeal.