Forest and Frontiers | Page 8

about,
lay gently down and awaited our on-coming, with nothing but his old
grey face and massive horns above the water, and these concealed from
our view by rank overhanging herbage.
Our attention was entirely engrossed with the spoor, and thus we rode
boldly on until within a few feet of him, when springing to his feet, he
made a desperate charge after Ruyter, uttering a low, stifling roar,

peculiar to buffaloes, (somewhat similar to the growl of a lion) and
hurled horse and rider to the ground with fearful violence. His horns
laid the poor horse's haunches open to the bone, making the most
fearful ragged wound.
In an instant Ruyter regained his feet and ran for his life, which the
buffalo observing, gave chase, but most fortunately came down with a
tremendous somersault in the mud, his feet slipping from under him;
thus the Bushman escaped certain destruction. The buffalo rose much
discomfited, and, the wounded horse first catching his eye, he went a
second time at him, but he got out of the way. At this moment I
managed to send one of my patent pacificating pills into his shoulder,
when he instantly quitted the scene of action, and sought shelter in a
dense cover on the mountain side, whither I deemed it imprudent to
follow him.
Adventures with snakes.
The following stories of fascination by snakes, is copied from "Arthur's
Home Gazette." It is no fiction; but is contributed by a gentleman of
Tennessee, who is willing to vouch for the truth of what he relates.
It has been a thousand times affirmed, and as often denied, that certain
serpents possess the power--independent of the touch--of paralyzing
their proposed victims. And it seems to be generally admitted that this
is done, if done at all, by the eye; for those theorists who ascribe it to
poison inhaled through the nostrils of the charmed ones, offer us no
example to confirm their theory, or to make it worthy of a second
thought. In extended rambles, alone as well as with society, I have
made the study of serpents a matter of amusement, and familiarized
myself--at least I had done so ten years back--to handle them without
any llesh-shrinking. As I got older, and my nerves become weakened
by long exposure to the seasons and to midnight studies, more
debilitating than Texas "northers," I must confess that I am more timid;
but I can yet join a hunt, or project one in good "snake weather," with
considerable gusto. I have never met with a snake that could charm me,
look he never so keenly, although I have faced them till they got tired,
uncoiled, and beat an inglorious retreat. And I am sure that I never

smell anything about a snake, calculated to excite any other emotions or
motions except holding the nose. And finally I never found a snake or
snakelet that I would turn my heel upon to flee, and for the very good
reason that the animal in question always runs first.
So, ye manufacturers of snake stories horrific, amusive, or instructive,
put that against your tales of blacksnakes, copperheads, cotton-mouths,
horn-tails, water-mocassins, and the whole tribe else.
But as to the fascination, what of that?
Why, although I have never been fascinated, or seen a person in that
singular situation, yet I am a firm believer in the art, a believer against
my wishes--because evidence indisputable has been furnished me, and
in abundance. Now I leave out of the question, all the influences of
fright, surprise, etc., also all the humbug stories of novel writers and
romancers in private life, and yet there is a remainder that I cannot cast
out. One or two anecdotes, and then I come to my principal proof.
A gentleman of my acquaintance, passing along a bridle path, observed
a mouse running backwards and forwards, upon a fallen log, as if in
great terror. Reining in this horse, he paused full ten minutes, and until
the mouse disappeared on the farther side of the log. Drawing nearer,
and peeping over, his suspicions of Lucifer's guile were verified--for
mousey was within three inches of his open jaw, "irresistibly attracted,"
said the narrator, "although he was drawing back with all his might."
The latter part of the tale is fishy--for the gentleman was twenty feet off,
and could not nave seen that--but he saw the mouse finally disappear in
that cavernous gullet; and when he killed the snake-a large black
one--the mouse lay in its stomach, without a wound. How will that do?
Another, well authenticated. A young man, of some twenty years,
passing along the road to school, on foot, was observed by some of his
companions in the rear to pause suddenly and look down. His fellows
intent on their conversation,