The Desert Home Part 13

"'Is the sea equally salt at all places?' inquired the philosopher Frank, after a short pause, during which he had been busily reflecting on what had been said.

"'No; it is more so at the Equator than in the colder regions around the Poles. It is less salt in gulfs and inland seas than in the open ocean.

This I believe I can also explain, because it would support the theory regarding the rivers of which we have just spoken. The difference of saltness in different parts of the sea is, however, very trifling.'

"'How much salt is there in the sea-water?'

"'Three and a half per cent nearly. That is, if you boil down one hundred pounds of sea-water, it will yield you about three pounds and a half of salt.'

"'But are there not many lakes and brine-springs that contain a far greater proportion than that?'

"'Many. There is a large lake lying in this very Desert, to the north-west of where we are, called the "Great Salt Lake." The waters of that lake are more than one-third pure salt. There are many springs and rivers that contain a greater proportion than the ocean itself. It is to be hoped that our own little creek here will yield better than it.-- But come! let us see how the kettle boils. We had almost forgotten it.'

"We approached our kettle, and lifted the lid. To our great joy, a sc.u.m was floating on the top, very much like crystals of ice forming upon half melted snow. Some of it was skimmed off and applied to our lips.

Joy! it was _salt_--the pure _chloride of sodium_--equal to the best ever s.h.i.+pped from Turk's Island."

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

THE BATTLE OF THE SNAKES.

"I need not tell you that the announcement was received with joyful acclamations; and that one and all satisfied themselves by tasting of the salt. It had crystallised into small cubes, as salt always does; and it was as white as snow, which proved its great purity. We had put into the kettle--which was a large camp-kettle--about four gallons of water, and when it was fully evaporated, we obtained not less than ten pints of salt, showing that the water of our spring was much more saline than the sea itself.

"When our first kettle-full was disposed of, we re-filled it with water, and again hung it over the fire. We also hung another vessel beside the kettle; and that was our frying-pan, in which several fine steaks of venison, seasoned with the new salt, were cooked for our dinner. We were not unmindful of the thanks which we owed to G.o.d for giving us this munificent supply of an article so much needed by us; and as soon as dinner was over, my wife took occasion to bring this subject pointedly forward and we sat for some time conversing upon it.

"All at once we were interrupted by a series of curious incidents, which took place within sight of our fire. Our attention was first drawn to them by hearing loud screams at a short distance from us, which we all recognised as the voice of the blue-jay. There is nothing unusual in hearing this bird screaming half the day--for it is, perhaps, more easily excited than any other feathered creature. But, if you have ever noticed, it utters a very peculiar cry when there's something unusual 'in the wind.' When some much-dreaded enemy is at hand, its note becomes extremely shrill and disagreeable. So it was then; and for that reason it drew my attention, as well as that of my companions.

"We looked towards the spot whence the cry came. We could see the branches of a low tree in motion, and the beautiful sky-blue wings of the bird closing and spreading again as it fluttered through them. We could see nothing else upon the tree--that is, no enemy of the bird--nor on any of the trees near it. On lowering our eyes to the ground, however, we perceived at once what had set the jay to scolding. Slowly drawing itself along the earth, gliding through the gra.s.s and over the dry leaves--without causing even the driest of them to rustle--went a hideous reptile--a snake. Its yellowish body, dappled with black blotches, glittered as the sun glanced from its lubricated scales; while it rose and fell in wavy undulations as it moved. It moved slowly--by vertical sinuosities, almost in a direct line, with its head slightly raised from the gra.s.s. At intervals, it stopped--elevated its neck-- lowered its flat coffin-shaped head, like a feeding swan--gently oscillated it in a horizontal direction--touched the crisp leaves with its red tongue, as though it was _feeling for a trail_--and then moved on again. In its frequent pauses, as it lay stretched along the ground it appeared cylindrical, as long as the tallest man, and as thick as a man's fore-arm. Its tail ended in a h.o.r.n.y appendage about a foot in length, and resembling a string of large yellowish ill-shaped beads, or a portion of its own vertebrae stripped of the flesh, this peculiarity told us its species. We saw before us the dreaded rattlesnake--the _crotalus horridus_.

"My companions were eager to rush forward and at once attack the monster. I restrained them, dogs and all. I had heard--who has not?-- of the power of fascination which these reptiles possess. I knew not whether to believe or disbelieve it. Here was an opportunity to test its truth. Would it charm the bird? We should see. One and all of us remained motionless and silent. The snake crawled on.

"The bird followed over-head, pitching itself from branch to branch, from tree to tree, screaming with open throat. Neither of them noticed us, as we were partially concealed where we sat.

"On reaching the foot of a tall magnolia, the rattlesnake--after going once round the tree, and apparently smelling the bark--slowly and carefully wound itself into a spiral coil, close in to the trunk. Its body now presented the appearance of a speckled and glittering cable, as they are usually coiled on the deck of a s.h.i.+p. The tail with its h.o.r.n.y appendage protruded beneath, and the flat head peeped over above, resting upon the uppermost ring of the body. The nict.i.tating membrane was drawn over its eyes. It appeared to sleep. This I thought strange, as I had heard that the fascinating power of these creatures lay in the eyes. It soon became evident, how ever, that the bird was not its object; for the latter, on seeing that the snake lay still, ceased its chattering and flew off into the woods.

"Believing that the interest of the scene was now over, I was about raising my rifle to take aim at the snake, when a motion on its part convinced me that it was not asleep, but watching. Watching for what?

A squirrel, perhaps, for this is the creature's favourite prey. I looked up into the tree. It had all the appearance of being what is termed a 'squirrel-tree'--that is, a tree in which squirrels have their nest. Ha! just as I expected--there was a hole in the trunk, high up; and around its orifice the bark was slightly discoloured, evidently by the paws of the squirrels pa.s.sing in and out. Moreover, on looking to the ground again, I perceived that a little beaten path, like a rat-track, led off through the gra.s.s. A ridge-like protuberance that projected from the foot of the tree--marking the direction of one of its great roots--ran right into this path; and, from the discoloration of the bark above it, it was evident that the squirrels usually climbed up or descended along this ridge. The rattlesnake was coiled beside it--so close that no animal could pa.s.s in that way without coming within his reach! I felt certain, then, that he was waiting for the descent of the squirrel; and desirous to see what should happen, I muttered some words of caution to my companions, who remained silent as before.

"We sat watching the hole, in expectation to see the squirrel come forth. At length, a little rat-shaped head peeped cautiously out; but in this position the animal remained, and did not seem inclined to trust itself beyond the mouth of its den. It was evidently observing us-- which it could easily do from its elevated position--and had no intention of coming down.

"We were about giving up all hopes of witnessing a 'scene,' when our attention was drawn to a rustling among the dead leaves in the woods beyond. We looked in that direction. Another squirrel was running toward the tree. It was running at full speed,--now along the fallen logs, now through the gra.s.s and dry leaves--apparently pursued. It _was_ pursued; for almost at the same instant its pursuer came in sight--an animal with a long, slender body, twice the length of the squirrel itself, and of a bright yellow colour. It was the _pine-weasel_.

"There were not twenty feet between them as they ran; and both were doing their best.

"I cast a glance at the rattlesnake. He knew what was coming. His jaws were extended--the lower one drawn back until it touched his throat,-- his poisoned fangs were naked and visible; his tongue was protruded forward; his eyes glanced like diamonds; and his whole body rose and fell as with a quick respiration. He seemed to have dilated himself to twice his natural size!

"The squirrel, looking only behind, ran for the tree, and, like a streak of light, pa.s.sed along the ridge and upward. We saw the snake launch out his head as the other pa.s.sed him; but so quick had been the action, that it did not seem that he had even touched it.

"'Good!' thought we, as we saw the little squirrel sweep up the trunk, and fancied that it was safe. Before it had reached the first fork, however, we observed that it climbed more slowly--then faltered--then stopped altogether. Its hind feet slipped from the bark; its body oscillated a moment, hanging by the fore-claws, and then dropped heavily back into the very jaws of the serpent!

"The weasel, on seeing the snake, had suddenly stopped a few feet from it; and now ran around, doubling its long worm-like body, and occasionally standing erect,--all the while spitting and snarling like an angry cat. It was evidently furious at being robbed of its prey; and we thought for awhile it was going to give battle to the snake, which had re-coiled himself on seeing this enemy, and lay with open jaws awaiting the attack. The body of the squirrel--now quite dead--was close up to his coil, so that the other could not s.n.a.t.c.h it without coming within reach of his dangerous fangs.

"On seeing this, and evidently afraid to encounter such a terrible antagonist, the weasel, after a while, ceased its hostile demonstrations; and, turning to one side, bounded off into the woods.

"The reptile now leisurely uncoiled the upper half of his body; and, stretching out his neck toward the squirrel, prepared to swallow it. He drew the animal out to its full length along the ground, so that its head lay towards him. He evidently purposed swallowing the head first-- in order to take it 'with the grain'--and he commenced lubricating it with the saliva that ran from his forked tongue.

"While we sat watching this curious operation, our attention was attracted to a movement in the leaves over the spot where the snake lay.

Directly above him, at a height of twenty or more feet, a huge _liana_, of the trumpet species, stretched across from tree to tree. It was full as thick as a man's arm, and covered with green leaves and large crimson cuneiform blossoms, such as belonged to itself. There were other blossoms mingling with these, for still other parasites--smaller ones-- were twined around it; and we could distinguish the beautiful star-like flowers of the cypress vine. Among these an object was in motion--a living object--a body--the body of a great snake, nearly as thick as the liana itself.

"Another rattlesnake! No; the rattlesnake is _not a tree-climber_,--it could not be that. Besides, the colour of the one upon the vine was entirely different. It was of a uniform black all over--smooth and glittering. It was the _black_ snake then--the 'constrictor' of the north.

"When we first noticed it, it was wound upon the liana in spiral rings, like the worm of a gigantic screw. We saw that it was slowly gliding downward--for the vine tended diagonally from tree to tree, and its lowest end impinged upon the trunk of the magnolia, about twenty feet from the ground.

"On reaching this point, the snake gradually drew its rings closer together--until they appeared to touch each other, lapping the liana.

It then commenced unwinding itself, by the head, which was slowly circled backward around the vine--still, however, creasing closely along it. After a sufficient number of evolutions, the rings had completely disappeared--with the exception of one or two near the tail--and the reptile lay doubled along the liana. These manoeuvres were executed silently and with great caution; and it now seemed to pause, and survey what was going on below.

"During all this while, the rattlesnake had been busily engaged with the squirrel, and thought of nothing else. After licking the latter to his satisfaction, he extended his purple jaws, drew in the head of his victim, and, stretching his long body to its full extent, proceeded to swallow it, tail and all. In a few seconds, the head and shoulders of the squirrel had disappeared.

"But the glutton was suddenly interrupted in his meal; for, at this moment, we observed the black snake gradually lower himself from the liana, until nothing remained upon the tree but a single loop of his prehensile tail; and his long body stretching downward, hung directly over the other.

"'Surely,' thought we, 'he is not going to encounter the rattlesnake-- the most terrible of all reptiles.' But the constrictor understood _one_ chapter of herpetology better than we--for the next moment we saw him drop to the ground; and, almost as quick as thought, appear lapped in sable folds around the speckled body of the 'crotalus!'

"It was a singular sight to see those two creatures writhing and wriggling over the gra.s.s; and it was some time before we could tell how they battled with each other. There was no great difference between them, in point of size. The black snake was longer--by a foot or so-- but much more slender in the body, than his antagonist. He possessed, however, an advantage that soon made itself apparent--his activity, which was ten times that of the rattlesnake. We saw that he could easily evolve or wind himself at pleasure around the body of the latter--each time compressing him with those muscular powers which have ent.i.tled him to his name 'constrictor.' At each fresh embrace, the body of the 'crotalus' appeared to writhe and contract under the crus.h.i.+ng influence of his sable adversary.

"The rattlesnake had but one weapon, which he could have employed with effect--his fangs. These were already locked in the body of the squirrel, and he could not use them upon his adversary. He could not get rid of that hairy morsel, that, like a barbed arrow, was now sticking in his throat. We could see that the squirrel still remained there; for, as the two reptiles struggled over the gra.s.s, its bushy tail was seen waving in the midst of their tortuous contest.

"At length, the battle began to flag. The motions of both combatants waxed slower and slower. We could now see _how_ they fought. We could see--strange it appeared to us--that, instead of battling head to head-- face to face--the fangs of the 'constrictor' were buried in the rattles of the 'crotalus!' Stranger still, the tail of the former rose and fell with a muscular and powerful impetus, whipping the latter to death!

"The contest was soon ended. The rattlesnake lay stretched at full length--evidently dead; while the black constrictor still continued to hug the speckled body, as though it was an object to be loved. This lasted for a moment or so; and then slowly unwinding himself, the conqueror turned round, crawled head to head with his victim, and proceeded to appropriate the prey. The 'scene' was over, and we all leaped to our feet to enact the _finale_. I should have spared the constrictor, after the good service he had done in destroying the rattlesnake; but Cudjo, who hated all sorts of creeping things, was ahead of me; and, before I could come up, I beheld the victor suspended upon his spear!"

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE SUGAR-TREE.

"In the evening, we returned to our house, carrying with us, on the back of Pompo, a good-sized bag of salt. We had evaporated enough to cure our venison, and to last us for several weeks to come. When it should be used up, we knew where to go for more. There was no danger of the spring going dry. We had noticed, previous to the discovery of the salt creek, that the water of the lake was perceptibly brackish; but we had never reflected on the cause. Doubtless, this fact had prevented us from yearning--as we might otherwise have done--for the valuable substance we had now obtained in such plenty.

"That night, after we had finished eating our supper, Harry, who had been all the day burning with curiosity to know what was the important discovery hinted at by his mother, now reminded her of her promise.

"'Come, now, mamma!' said he, in a challenging tone, 'what is it?--What have you found equal to that fine bag of salt, which you will all please to remember is the fruit of my discovery?'

"'But did I promise to tell you to-night? I said when we should be in low spirits, did I not? We are all happy now!'

"'Oh! you said to-night,' replied Harry. 'Besides,' added he, trying to look grave, 'I _am_ in low spirits. I have been so all day--ever since--ever since--'

"'Ever since you let the kettle against my s.h.i.+ns, and went skunk-hunting,' interrupted Frank, with a laugh, in which Cudjo joined heartily.