BRINGING IT HOME. 209

him and knocked him senseless with a large clod
of earth ; I then tied a cord tightly round his neck,
and the horse being meantime found, we retraced
our steps to the town, my companion with the
horse and I with the rattlesnake, which began by
degrees to recover his strength in a most alarming
manner, making the air resound with the noise of
his rattles, and dragging my arms about by his
strong and rapid writhings. I durst not let go my
hold for fear of being bitten ; the efforts, therefore,
which I made to retain him, together with the
alarm, threw me into a state of great agitation.
However, I arrived safely at last, and tied the ser-
pent to a bench, keeping down his head with my
foot during the operation. Next day we were
three at dinner; our bill of fare included no more
than three eggs. What was to be done? I pro-
posed that we should cook the serpent: my col-
league approved the idea, remarking, ‘ that if the
flesh be good we shall in future have wherewith
to satisfy our appetites, nay, even to exceed the
bounds of moderation, should we be so inclined !’
‘“ Accordingly, I summoned to my aid all the
culinary skill I possessed to dress the serpent,
and in a very short time it appeared on the table
stripped of its skin, minus the head and tail, cut
into small pieces, gritted and well spiced with
cayenne pepper. The new dish seemed palatable