They Saw Snakes

Last night's Denver & Rio Grande train brought, says the Leadville Chronicle, three men who had just passed through an ordeal that íh terrible to contémplate, and the niany wemnds go to show that the story they teil is but too truc and homblo in its details. The men are E. W. Smith and George H. White, Jr., of Pueblo and Thomas Mc(iough of Colorado Springs. They detail the account of their adventure about as follows: Nine miles f rom the moutli of Uottonwood Ureck, up the stream, is a barren wilderness of scrubby undergrowth, and bowlders, and rocks, and stones. To stand on the verdant shore of tliis soa of waste land , one vvoukl naturally conclude taat they were many miles from .lOnhere, and, for aught they knew, wcre the iirst to discover this blank sea ot waste, barren, worthless fly-speck on the shirt-front of creation. The men were on a fisliing expedition. and started Wednesday morning from the mouth of the Minnehaha stream to wend their way towards ils source, when they reached the spot above mentioned. Here night overreached them, and having a lunch, they built a flre and made themselves as coiufortable as possiblc on the surfacc of a shaggy mossed rock. Being tired and fooisore. as soon as thcir scanty repast was eagerly devoured they were soon revcling in dreams, that, perhaps. are more or less pleasant to the mind while flitting in the realms of such fancies. One of the party had not been tangled with Morpheus long until hö was awakcned by soraething choking him. and. feeling", found his strange collar was cold and slimy. It was a very fine specimen of the black species, which was girdiug his throttle in its anything but loving embrace The monster was soon dispatched, and the party were about to lie down again after ridding themselves of his snakeship, when they fouml by the aid of the dying embeivs, and the assistanee afForded by the quarter moon that they were literaJIy surroundcd by the venom-tongued trailers. Two of the party proposed to decarnp for a moro congenial clinie, but when about to leave the rock they found themselves trampling on a living sea of sorpents. The hissing and rattling beeame more audible, and it was but a few minutes unlil it was as load as ordinary toned voices. The men, iindinsr they were thus surroundcd. broke branches from the stubby undergrowth of pines and commcnccd lashing the writhing sea of darting, hissins: snakes, Realizing fhat they had an all-night job, they added fueï to the Jlre, mdprocured thelargest sticks obtainable and commenced the killing m good earnest. The light and noise seemed to awaken the wholc barren waste luto a tempest of hissing and rattling. Each began the slaughter with redoubled vigor, vainly endeavorlng to iight their way to the stream, some hundred yards away, down a slanting hill. They wouid gain a few paces only to be dn ven back again to the rock. The rattling and hissing beeame so loud that thcir voices were not audible unless close by. The sound was something like four or flve heat separators in operation at onc time. It was terrible. The hair on their heads was standing straight and stiff like the wires of a patent hair bmsh. Their hands and arms were blood-stained to their elbows, and the stench from the snaky battle-iield was sickening in the extreme. One hour after the first snake was killed no less than 5,000 lay slain, and they kept coming thicker and faster. The sound bocame hideous, and soon the moon disappeared, and the three fishermen feit that heil had sweeter charms than the place it seemed their fate to die in. Two of the men Were bitten and their legs and arms began to swell and pain badiy, and they frequently had to rest and pennit one to do the killing of three. The hours wore slowlv by, and the slaughter was kebt up as best they. At last morning came and liited the curtain of night from a most appalling scène. For iïfty' feet all around the huge rock lay a heap of stunned, squirrning and dead snakes. As far as they could see all around the barren waste was a seething tide' of reptiles that came towurd the rock with maddening fiiry. Concluding that they rcight as well carn death by a dearer fate, they made ready to run for the stream, thinking that if they gained the other side they would hare a bettej chance to care for their wounds. Leaping as far as possible from the rock, they ran frantic, struggling, bitten, and, wild with pain they plunged into the water and reached "the other side, conipletely overeóme by the terrible ordeal just paased through, and after somo time they bandaged their bleeding and swollen limbs. By nine o'clock they wero sufficiently recovered to continue to Cottonwooil Springs, where they took the first train for LeadvilJc to secure medical aid, arrivinsr here last night. They described the snakes as being specimens of all kinds, such as adders, vipers, copperheads, milk, house, green and black, aüd among them werè two hoop-snakes and a racer, which they declare was no less than twenty-two feet in length. The doctor says the men are not fatally bitten, but it will bc some time bcfore the swellings and pain will disappear. They leave on to-night's train for their respectivo homes, feelingthat they have kftd enough Jishing and an abundanco ' snakes for one excursión.