Snakes Around the Water - Part 1

By Wayne Barber

Years ago I was asked to speak at a youth retreat that was held in late spring at a campground in Mississippi. While I was there the leaders of the retreat told me that they wanted me to help them get rid of the “cotton mouth water moccasins” that infested the lake that would be used by children and youth coming for summer camp.

Three of us got into a canoe after dark one night and set out to wage war against the “cotton mouths”. 

I am six feet and seven inches and weigh a good 270 pounds. They put me into the middle of the canoe and the other two men, neither of whom was small, took the front and the rear of the canoe respectively. We were a comical sight.  I had a twenty gauge double barrel shotgun and the man who sat behind me had a pistol which I wished he had told me he had and the man in the front had a paddle and prayer and that was all.