e. It was the evident
intention of the black snake to attack the other. Instead of attempting
to escape with its prize, the rattle-snake, though it could not use its
venomous fangs, which would have given it an advantage over its
opponent, whose teeth were unprovided with a poison-bag, advanced to the
encounter. In an instant the two creatures had flown at each other,
forming a writhing mass of apparently inextricable coils. In vain the
rattle-snake attempted to get down the squirrel so as to use its fangs,
the animal sticking in its throat could neither be swallowed nor
ejected. The struggle was truly fearful to look at. Round and round
they twisted and turned their lithe bodies. In the excitement of the
moment we cheered on the combatants, who appeared perfectly heedless of
our cries. By the most wonderful movements the rattle-snake managed to
prevent the black snake from seizing its neck with its sharp teeth, or
coiling its lithe tail round the other.

Had the rattle-snake succeeded in swallowing the little squirrel, one
bite with its venomous fangs would have gained it the victory. For some
time the result of the combat appeared indecisive. In point of size the
two creatures were tolerably well matched, both being upwards of six or
seven feet long, with bodies of about equal thickness, but they differed
greatly in the shape of their heads, and still more so in the form of
their tails, that of the black snake being round and tapering to a fine
point, while the thick rattle of the other was clearly discernible as
they writhed and twisted round and round, its sound never ceasing while
the deadly struggle continued; that and the angry hiss emitted by both
alone broke the perfect silence which otherwise reigned around. At
length the black snake succeeded in seizing the body of its antagonist
at some distance from the head, when by a sudden whisk it encircled with
its long tail the neck of the more venomous reptile. It then gradually
drew the body of the latter within its coils until it had firmly secured
its throat. In vain the rattle-snake attempted to free itself. At
length, to our infinite satisfaction we saw the head of the venomous
reptile drop towards the ground, and we no longer heard the rattle of
its tail; still the black snake, which had from the first kept its sharp
eyes intently fixed on those of the rattle-snake, did not appear
satisfied that life was extinct, but held it in a fast embrace,
car