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“Yeah, he jumped on the back and stuck to it like a magnet on a refrigerator,” said Zigzag.
“Yeah, well just ‘cause Zigzag sees something doesn’t mean it’s there,” said X-Ray.
“And just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there,” said Zigzag.
I returned to my hole but continued to watch the truck until it disappeared over the horizon. I finished digging, took my shower, then hung out in the Wreck Room until dinner. Nobody spoke about Magnet, in case the Warden was listening, but we were all thinking about him.
He showed up halfway through dinner. He just walked into the mess hall, still in his sweaty uniform, got his tray of food, and plopped down at our table. The only thing he said was “Pass the ketchup.”
We stared at him.
“Good to see you, buddy,” said X-Ray. “Didn’t you hear him, Squid? Give the man some ketchup.”
Survival Test Four
What happened to Magnet?
A: He hid behind a dirt pile and watched the truck go by, too scared to try to jump on it. Ashamed, he waited until we all returned to the camp compound, then finished digging his hole.
B: He jumped on the back bumper but immediately fell off. He lay in the road, defeated, as he watched the truck drive away. Bruised and ashamed, he waited until we all finished digging, then returned to his hole.
C: He jumped on the back bumper and had ridden for about a mile when suddenly the truck hit a bump in the road and he fell off, nearly killing himself. He limped back down the road, then finished digging his hole.
D: He jumped on the back bumper and held on to the latch. As the truck picked up speed, he got more and more scared. Before the truck reached an unsafe speed, he jumped off, hit the road hard, then bounced and rolled down the road. He lay there awhile, waiting for someone to come get him. When no one did, he pulled himself to his feet, limped back down the road, and finished digging his hole.
E: He jumped on the back bumper, opened the latch, and slipped inside, only to find workers playing cards. He was taken to Mr. Pendanski, who lectured him, then to Mr. Sir, who yelled at him, then to the Warden, who punished him, and then he had to finish digging his hole.
answer to test four
I don’t know. I’m as curious as you are, but I never found out. If Magnet had wanted to tell us, he would have. The important thing is this: If you’re going to survive Camp Green Lake, you just can’t ask too many questions.
10
Rattlesnakes
Types of rattlesnakes: It may be helpful for you to know the different kinds of rattlesnakes found at Camp Green Lake and to be able to recognize each type by its color and distinct markings. Unfortunately, I can’t help you there. When it comes to rattlesnakes, I’m basically a blubbering idiot. All I ever notice are the two ends, the rattle and the mouth. I can’t tell you much about the middle.
I think they’re pretty much the color of sand, which is pretty much the color of everything else at Camp Green Lake. I’ve heard Mr. Pendanski refer to one as a diamondback, so it’s a good bet it has diamond markings on its back.
Another type is the sidewinder, which I can recognize not by its markings but by the way it moves. When a sidewinder is chasing after you, it doesn’t keep its body in a straight line. Instead, it looks like a series of S curves, which slither very rapidly with a wavelike motion. I wish I could give you a better description, but I don’t have eyes in the back of my head.
The coiled rattlesnake: Most rattlesnakes I saw were in a coil. This is the snake’s most dangerous position, because of how quickly it can become uncoiled. Usually, the snake will see you before you see it. That’s good. If you saw it first, you might already be too close.
When the snake sees you, its tail will begin to rattle. You can see the rattle sticking straight up from somewhere in the middle of the coil. The rattles are four to six inches long. Imagine trying to shake a baby’s rattle as fast as you can for as long as you can. Your arm would get tired after thirty seconds. The snake’s tail rattles much faster, about ten rattles per second, and it doesn’t seem to get tired. It would be interesting to know how long a rattlesnake can keep on rattling, but that would require sticking around.
Also rising up from the coil will be the head. As you circle around a coiled snake, the raised head will turn 360 degrees, watching you; the snake’s mouth will be open, its forked tongue darting in and out between two large fangs.
Even a dead rattlesnake can bite you. Rattlesnakes are not the most i
ntelligent creatures on the planet. If their sensors detect danger, they strike. It’s just a reflex. They don’t think about it. If a rattlesnake has been recently killed, some of its nerve endings may still be working. If you try to pick up a dead rattlesnake, it may still bite you, as a reflex.
What to do if you are bitten by a rattlesnake: Don’t panic. The good news is that one way or another, you are about to leave Camp Green Lake.
“What do you think Barf Bag is doing right now?”
That question was asked my first night in D tent. Barf Bag had stepped on a rattlesnake. I was his replacement.
“I bet he’s lying in a hospital bed, watching television,” said Zigzag.
