Chapter 11, Rattle Snakes, Chapter 12, The Earthquake Summary and Analysis

Muir is initially prejudiced against the rattlesnake but he comes to respect them over time. He finds out that the snakes are important for farmers in central California because they eat rodents. Most snakes in Yosemite are harmless and only the rattlesnake has venom that is dangerous. Muir kills the first two rattlesnakes he meets. After a few minutes of moves and counterattacks, Muir brings his heel on to his first snake, ultimately killing him. Muir feels degraded by the process. He also thinks his second kill could have been avoided.

A third encounter near his cabin ends in the snake retreating without any tension at all. At the time of writing, Muir has seen about one hundred of them and leaves them alone. At one point, Muir throws his camping...