| Show OV OC JAKE PAYS ufra A W I 1 TIC OFF 19 giant pine snake returns friendship of A aged ged hermit ho saved its life F r 01 jake julic the pine snake cattle through A crack in ili tin the floor and ini mediately gave battle to the rattlesnake wille and looked on with horror uy by WILLIAM IN READING the lie headlines of north carolinas carolina s newspapers not so long ago you may have seen recluse of dismal swamps held captive of 0 deadly diamond backs until rescued by pet pat snake but this short two inch item that gave mention to the harrowing experience peri por lenco ence of one jud baker aged hermit of the drummonds lake district of dismal swamps did not touch the colorful side of this strange drama that depicted strange to say the character of a snake it was more than a year ago when jud daker baker first saw the six foot pine snake ho he later named 01 ol 01 jake jud had just paddled his bateau from across the lake to the landing a few yards down from his cabin As he stopped stepped on to tho the bank a darting form whirred whirled upward on glistening wings from the bushes th that it bordered the opening jud turned and looked it was the fluttering lorm form of an enormous snake hawk it came back do down again into the bushes with a crash seemed to struggle there a moment then strove to take the air again puzzled jud went to the edge of tho the bushes to investigate lie he found the big bird of prey hovering a few feet from the ground wings beating the air powerfully and in its sharp talons was a pine snake hawk Is snakes equal the reptiles torso writhed about ahr boot 1 t a idaa HM doing its utmost to tear tho the hold away and lilt lift it into the air now the pine snake Is a powerful constrictor and one snap from its mighty jaws can almost sever a ma mans ns wrist no reptile I 1 in n all the wilds can conquer it in corn com bat and the steel like muscles of 01 its glistening body can crush the bones otia ofa wildcat or a dog but the snake hawk is its equal in swiftness and in strength and in all outdoors the only living thin thins that it fears true the snake hawk does not immediately kill the snake with claws or beak instead it flies to an enormous height releases rele aies the prey and lots it crash to its death far below where it eats cats it at leisure jud baker knew this and with a stick he drove the hawk away and captured the snake and took it with him to his cabin the rippling skin of the snake was torn in a doz en places blood oozed from deep lacerations where the tha snake hawks talons had torn in for days afterward jud baker thought his snake would die the ibe live mice and frogs he placed inside the improvised cage were left untouched tho the snake lay prone and motionless 01 jake moves in but w with ith passing days came un improvement pro and after two weeks the big reptile crawled about in his cage one night he escaped through a crack in the door he ha disappeared and jud saw nothing ot of him for a month but then he ha came back again and stayed from then on he made his home there with the old recluse ile ho became a pet ile he would crawl on to jud bakers dining table while the man ate his meals he would coll coil on his bunk and sleep through the icing hot days of summer it was during the month of march that lot le he disappeared days passed and finally jud decided he had either strayed oil oft and found a mate and had forgotten or a snake hawk had at last captured him jud searched for his strange pet but never found him so he ha finally gave up it was two months alter after 01 jake had disappeared when the first warm days of summer came to drummonds Drum monda mands lake that jud baker opened his eyes one morning to a strange sound at the little window just above his bunk jud hears terrifying sound for a long time he lay there blinking his eyes what made that strange sound it had seemed oddly I 1 y familiar and yet he quite place it then suddenly it came again and jud bakers form stiffened the hair on his scalp prickling it was the angry whir of n rot rat ties and it came from just a bare yard from ills his face on oll tile the low sill III of tho the open window two wicked belady eyes stared at ral him from a n small flat licad head A tiny forked tongue flicked lit in and out tile tho mouth th jud baker stared into those eyes and ills his blood seemed to freeze lit in his veins after several long mornen moments ts lie he moved lils his head slightly instantly uie the tall tail that lay in fit the center of 0 the colled coiled reptile jerked up and wriggled spasmodically there came tile the whir of rubles jud baker lay motionless leit the deadly fol low suddenly decide to strike downword downward in his straining sweating face an age seemed to pass before those rattlers quieted down clown and an other eon con to go by before the old man ventured to move again rattlers all around him ile he held ills his breath and slowly moved one foot toward tile tho edge 0 of f the bunk if lie ho could only slide noiselessly to tile tho floor beyond reach of those deadly fangs things would be well but ho he never quite managed it for foe as ills his foot slid slowly to the very edge of the bed there camo came a now new sound to ills his roaring ears the sound of another set of rattlers from tile the floor just beneath the edge of the bed jud dakar baker stiffened ile he groaned in abject terror terro r cold sweat beadi bead ed his leathery face lie he strained his eyes to glance at the floor toward that now new men menace ace and what he saw brought a gasp to ills his drawn lips beside the bed on tile the floor lay tour four diamond backed rattlers each was colled coiled each snakes tongue flicked in and alit w while hil abo rattles gave angry warnings tho the sun went on oil down behind the timber line to the west shadows lengthened suddenly the ilvo five rati rattlesnakes i Ue tle snakes began their song ot of warning tho the din kept up in a steady drone and the man on the bunk roused himself from a hall half stupor then through the corners of his eyes he saw it that glistening rippling shadow that camo came through the crack beneath the door of the cabin in nick of time the long shining length of sinuous black and white torso glided like a shadow across the floor slow rippling and ominous and deadly in its purpose the four rattlers on the floor kept up their hellish din and the lone reptile on the window sill tensed in its coll coil and prepared to strike and the big pine snake lay in an S form on the loot foot of the bunk with its ita tall tail braced against the wall in an attitude of certain defense at tile the first hostile move and it came from the snake on the window sill like lightning it shot down toward OF 01 jake like a colled coiled spring and isquick a quick as lt was 01 sake jake was quicker the rattlesnakes mouth gaped open and two needlelike needle like fangs glistened in the evening light and the big pine snakes mighty open jaws met those open jaws in midair with a sickening crunch instantly both snakes became a writhing mass and tumbled from the bed to the floor amid the other waiting rattlers battle to death and then bedlam tore loose jud baker leaned from his bed and watched that fight he saw the four remaining rattlesnakes attack the big twisting form of 01 jake with gleaming fangs he saw those tangs fangs sink again and again into that rippling hide and he saw the big pine snake writhe and tie tic its muscular length into a dozen contortions about the floundering rattlers the battle have hava lasted more than three or four minutes jud baker lay there above it rigid in fascination and suddenly the tha forms grow grew still only the knotted length of the big pine snake slowly releasing its crushing holds from the dead forms of its enemies true enough venom must have hava been injected into 01 jakes length to kill a dozen men but a pine snake is immune Im muneto to a rattlers venom and presently the big fellow crawled loose and made his way slowly across the floor and out tho the door crack into the evening sunlight jud baker was tree free ile he lay on his bunk and watched his friend glide majestically from sight beneath the door 01 jake had come home and I 1 ahad had paid a debt he owed 0 lell bell Sync syndicate licate service lc |
