MOST MEMORABLE DESERT CRITTER

One of my most memorable encounters with a desert creatue was when I prospected the Mineral Mountain area east of Apache Junction, Arizona.
I spent a few weeks as watchman on a mining claim, where I stayed in a little camp trailer provided by the owner. It had sat idle for quite some time and a packrat had obviously decided to set up housekeeping.
Now, packrats are interesting desert critters. Aptly named, they collect and save anything and everything. They are also noted for their tendency to barter and trade items of interest.
My first day on the job, I knew a packrat was somewhere, as I spent a good part of the morning picking up silverware that had been strewn around the ground near the camper. When I opened the sillverware drawer, sure enough, it was crammed with cactus beans, twigs, acorns, and various pieces of ribbon and cloth!
Late in the evening I would start the generator to freeze water in the fridge to keep my foodsuffs fresh, watch a little TV or read, then fall asleep. Around 2:00 in the mourning I would feel the thumpity, thump, thump of this packrat running around this big 6 foot long pillow that I had, on his early morning rounds. This didn't bother me too much, and went on for about a week.
Then one night, the packrat had begun his nightly run, and I just happened to roll over at the same time. He zigged, I zagged, and this rat, about the size of a housecat went right to the bottom of my sleeping bag!! I'm here to tell you, there was a flurry of activity for the next couple of minutes as I gouged, he gouged, and a race ensued as to who was going to get out of that sleeping bag first!! It turned out to be a tie. He went one way, I went another. I don't know what that rat was thinking, but I decided then and there that one of us had to go, and it wasn't going to be me!
Well, to make a short story long, I bought the biggest rat trap I could find, loaded it with peanut butter, and just knew that I would be awoke when that thing slammed shut, and my rat problem would be solved.
The next morning, the trap was still set, but the peanut butter was gone! Now, I'm dealing with on smart rat. So, I loaded the trap with a real fine "dagwood" sandwich, stacked high with peanut butter, cheese, and bacon. I'm surprised I didn't lose a finger, caus this thing would go off with the slightest breath!
The next morning, the trap was still set, cleaned right down to the shiny brass! Now I wasn't so interested in trapping this genius of a rat as I was more interested as to how he could possibly clean that trap without setting it off.
Once again, I used the last of my fixins to build a larger dagwood, a really "hair" trigger and fell asleep. I woke when I heard some rustling around the trap, and sat mesmerezed as, using the very tip of his tongue, oh so gently, this rat polished of the last of the dagwood, cleaned the trigger bright and shiny, and didn't set the thing off!
And then, as quickly as my packrat friend had come into my life, he was gone. I guess when he figured I was out of sandwiches and silverware, it was time to find more suitable living quarters!!! BUDDY.

Comments

  1. Delightful story to read and I felt like I was there! Never met a pack rat, but I'm glad he wasn't caught in MY sleeping bag! I'd have hit the roof and stuck to it, lol.

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