The Dog Stared, As If He Was Frightned
Out Of His Senses; Nor Indeed, Could I Imagine What It Was,
Having Never Heard One Of Them Before.
Immediately again
I had another Lesson; and so a third.
Being at that time
amongst none but Savages, I began to suspect, they were working
some Piece of Conjuration under my House, to get away my Goods;
not but that, at another time, I have as little Faith in their,
or any others working Miracles, by diabolical Means, as any Person living.
At last, my Man came in, to whom when I had told the Story, he laugh'd at me,
and presently undeceiv'd me, by telling me what it was that made that Noise.
These Allegators lay Eggs, as the Ducks do; only they are longer shap'd,
larger, and a thicker Shell, than they have. How long they are in hatching,
I cannot tell; but, as the Indians say, it is most part of the Summer,
they always lay by a Spring-Side, the young living in and about the same,
as soon as hatch'd. Their Eggs are laid in Nests made in the Marshes,
and contain twenty or thirty Eggs. Some of these Creatures afford
a great deal of Musk. Their Tail, when cut of, looks very fair and white,
seemingly like the best of Veal. Some People have eaten thereof, and say,
it is delicate Meat, when they happen not to be musky. Their Flesh
is accounted proper for such as are troubled with the lame Distemper,
(a sort of Rhumatism) so is the Fat very prevailing to remove Aches and Pains,
by Unction. The Teeth of this Creature, when dead, are taken out,
to make Chargers for Guns, being of several Sizes, fit for all Loads.
They are white, and would make pretty Snuff-Boxes, if wrought by an Artist.
After the Tail of the Allegator is separated from the Body,
it will move very freely for four days.
{Rattle-Snake.}
The Rattle-Snakes are found on all the Main of America, that I ever had
any Account of; being so call'd from the Rattle at the end of their Tails,
which is a Connexion of jointed Coverings, of an excrementitious Matter,
betwixt the Substance of a Nail, and a Horn, though each Tegmen
is very thin. Nature seems to have design'd these, on purpose to give Warning
of such an approaching Danger, as the venomous Bite of these Snakes is.
Some of them grow to a very great Bigness, as six Foot in Length,
their Middle being the Thickness of the Small of a lusty Man's Leg.
We have an Account of much larger Serpents of this Kind;
but I never met them yet, although I have seen and kill'd abundance
in my time. They are of an Orange, tawny, and blackish Colour, on the Back;
differing (as all Snakes do) in Colour, on the Belly; being of an Ash-Colour,
inclining to Lead. The Male is easily distinguish'd from the Female,
by a black Velvet-Spot on his Head; and besides, his Head is smaller shaped,
and long.
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