Part 13 (1/2)
”'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 ions 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 reater 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 s 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 cootten it'
”We approached our kettle, and lifted the lid To our great joy, a scu on the top, veryupon 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 shi+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 accla of the salt It had crystallised into small cubes, as salt always does; and it was as white as snohich proved its great purity We had put into the kettle--which was a large caallons 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 ater, 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 un us this munificent supply of an article so much needed by us; and as soon as dinner was over,this subject pointedly forward and we sat for so upon it
”All at once ere interrupted by a series of curious incidents, which took place within sight of our fire Our attention was first drawn to the loud screanised as the voice of the blue-jay There is nothing unusual in hearing this bird screa 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 so unusual 'in the wind' When some much-dreaded enereeable 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 inand spreading again as it fluttered through the else upon the tree--that is, no ene 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 grass 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, alhtly raised frorass 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 ain 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 e about a foot in length, and resee 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 coer to rush forward and at once attack the s 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 fro with open throat Neither of them noticed us, as ere partially concealed where we sat
”On reaching the foot of a tallonce round the tree, and apparently s 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 shi+p The tail with its horny appendage protruded beneath, and the flat head peeped over above, resting upon the upper 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 convincedfor 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 passing 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 grass A ridge-like protuberance that projected froreat roots--ran right into this path; and, from the discoloration of the bark above it, it was evident that the squirrels usually clie The rattlesnake was coiled beside it--so close that no ani within his reach! I felt certain, then, that he aiting for the descent of the squirrel; and desirous to see what should happen, I muttered some words of caution to my companions, who re the hole, in expectation to see the squirrel coth, a little rat-shaped head peeped cautiously out; but in this position the animal remained, and did not seem inclined to trust itself beyond theus-- which it could easily do fro down
”We were about giving up all hopes of witnessing a 'scene,' when our attention was drawn to a rustling a 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 grass and dry leaves--apparently pursued It _was_ pursued; for alht--an anith of the squirrel itself, and of a bright yellow colour It was the _pine-weasel_