The Rattle Snake

This tale take place a long time ago in Florida when I was young. My brother who that year had for his birthday had received a 16 gauge shotgun and a 22 caliber rifle for his birthday he decided to go hunting for snakes which he hated for some reason though most thought it was because he had been bitten by a rattle snake the year before and would not go to the doctor for it for some reason he thought people would make fun of him for it.

Well off he went, a few hours later he came back with his "trophy" of the hunt and as he fixed it to the wall and with me staring at it he he told me of the hunt.

As he reached the railroad tracks he looked up and there slowly moving across the tracks was the longest rattle snake he had ever saw it had to be at least eight feet long with a smile he pulled the shotgun and took a shot the snake jumped but it did not stop moving he knew he had hit it but..so he unloaded the shotgun into it with each shot the snake would move or jump but never stopped its forward movement.

By this time my brother was mad he knew he was not that bad of a shot especially with a shotgun so he started with the 22 unloaded it into the snake it held many more rounds I think it was like 10 or so I am not sure now I never owned one but the snake did not stop he reloaded both and unloaded at the snake once again both weapons as before that dumb (his words) snake moved jumped almost flew but did not stop moving across the tracks.

He gave up and walked up to it to see how he could have missed so badly and almost had to sit down he was laughing so hard.

Well here I was looking at the almost nine feet of garden hose that had some how been hooked to a snapping turtle that was trying to find a new pond to live in and the "snake filled with holes from one end to the other stayed on my brothers wall for years he was so proud of it I never did understand why but it was funny though it was funny one day to see his face when the "snake" suddenly had eyes and rattles painted on he never did figure out who did that well given there were six of us grins