d added: "I suppose nine persons out of
every ten, when they see any kind of a snake, are seized with an impulse
to kill it."

"Even though many are harmless and useful."

"I think the best use you can put a rattlesnake to is to blow him into
smithereens, which is what I am going to do."

As he spoke, Jack brought his Winchester to a level and sighted
carefully at the pitted head of the serpent. He was deliberate, and did
not press the trigger until sure his aim was accurate to a hair.

Fred kept his eye on that head. At the instant the sharp crack of the
rifle rang out the frightful object vanished, and the long body broke
into fierce writhings. Jack had clipped off the head as neatly as if
with the blow of a scimitar, the bullet shattering the neck just below,
and at its narrowest portion.

"That's as well as I could have done myself," commented Fred, as his
friend lowered his weapon and watched the struggles of his victim, which
quickly ceased, for, as has been said, the _crotalus_ species is easily
killed, and when one of them has been decapitated he cannot keep up
appearances very long.

When it became certain the reptile was dead the boys drew near for a
closer inspection. They counted the rattles, which were seventeen in
number, proving the reptile of extraordinary size.

"We didn't think to count those of the other," said Fred, "but I am sure
it was not so large as this."

"No; but I wonder whether we are going to stumble over them at every
step?"

"This is only the second one; we may not see another for a week."

"I hope we shall not; but so long as they are kind enough to give us
notice of their intentions we ought to be able to avoid their bites."

It looked as if their experience of the previous day was to be repeated,
for within a hundred yards from the spot an animal was discovered on a
rock, a considerable distance above them. Fred was the first to see it,
and exclaimed:

"There's another buck, Jack! It's your turn."

But before Jack could bring his weapon to a level the animal saw them
and was off like a flash. In fact they had no more than a glimpse of
it--barely enough to see that it had no antlers, and probably was not a
deer at all.

"It isn't going to be as easy work as we thought," said Fred; "I
shouldn't be surprised if we fail to get a shot to-day."

"Well, we shall have the fun of tramping ourselves tired. It seems to me
that when any sort of game shows itself it comes out in