The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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HOW TWO SNAKES TRIED TO SWALLOW EACH OTHER
By S. C. Turnbo
One of the most strange snake stories I ever heard of that was told me for the truth originated from a small stream in Carroll County, Ark., called Dry Creek, which runs into Long Creek from the west side. I obtained the account from Tom Erwin, an old pioneer settler of that section who in the bygone days hauled goods from Batesville to Carrollton in an ox wagon. The snake story as told by Mr. Erwin is as follows:
"One of my neighbors of the name of William Beck while hunting on Dry
Creek discovered two large black snakes engaged in a fierce combat. Mr.
Beck said that it was remarkable how these reptiles fought each other. They
struggled with all the strength at their command to overcome each other
until it seemed that their power of motion was nearly gone, when suddenly
they changed their mode of fighting by each one taking the end of the other’s
tail in its mouth foremost and began to swallow and they went on swallowing
each other until there was nothing left of them to be seen except two reptiles
in the shape of a hoop and after they had swallowed each other as far as
they could they both sulled and lay as if perfectly torpid. Mr. Beck said
that he then picked up a stout stick and lifted the snakes up with it like
raising a hoop from the ground and when he did this he concluded to bring
them to my house where I lived and did. They had made no effort to free
themselves from each other while he was carrying them along in this way.
When he layed them down in my yard they lay as quiet as if they were dead.
It sounds unreasonable to make such a statement but it is a veritable truth
that we could not separate the reptiles until we knocked them loose with
the stick. But the moment they were freed from each other they took on new
life and we killed them both."
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