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045
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Transcription
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RATTLESNAKES
The rattlesnake has been the topic of much conversation by homesteaders in Western Nebraska. I have never been bitten by one, only because I was out of reach when it made the strike. I have thought that all living creatures on this earth had a purpose, but I have never figured out what the purpose of the rattlesnake was. Snakes are useful in keeping rodents under control, but why does it have to carry a load of poison?
I have been told that the rattlesnake lives only in the western hemisphere. It is very well known in the western states of the United States. My father told me when I was very young, that if I heard a rattlesnake, just stand still, don't move until you locate it. There were several times as a small boy that I took the advice, but it is difficult to do. It is also often hard to locate the snake. The gray diamond back rattler is well camouflaged, and can be hidden in the grass and weeds, especially on stony ground.
The horses and cattle on the ranch are also afraid of the rattler. I have had a saddle horse nearly jump out from under me when he heard the dreaded rattle.
One hot day in August, I was loading bundles of grain in the rack to take to the threshing machine. The team was well trained, and as I loaded the shocked grain on the wagon, they would move up to the next shock, without driving them. I thrust my pitchfork into the shock of grain and a sudden buzz stopped me. It reached the ears of the team at the same time, and in a matter of seconds I had a run away team that left me standing with my pitchfork in the shock of grain. Every time I moved my fork there came another rattle. I finally located the snake, it was in a depression in the ground where a horse had stepped. It was 5 feet long, and coiled like a gray rope. I got rid of the snake in a hurry, took my knife and cut off the rattles. My team was stopped by a friend that was working close by.
Prairie dog holes were a good hiding place, and if a horse or cow got too close, the snake would strike. This happened to one of our best work horses. For a month that poor animal walked around with a head so badly swollen that its eyes were closed and it nearly starved before it could eat. We were able to stick a hose down its throat and give it water. The animal did live, but it took it a long time to recover.
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Metzger Memories
