News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-12-11
ALL ABOUT TAME CoBRAs.
The Gentleman Named Quain. and the Very
Narrow Escape He Had.

from the Youths Companion.1
Up in Poona, a delicate gentleman
named Quain, passionately fond of nat
ural history, was visited one morning by
three Hindoo snake ke-charmers. In the
bungalow compound, or garden, they
showed off their time -immemorial tricks
of making cobras raise themselves half
up and sway gracefully to the harsh
music of bamboo pipes.
1t occurred to him that he might
train couple of snakes, and be in po-
sition to observe their habits closely.
He asked the snake-charmers if the
fangs of tho cobras were out, and seeing
that he contemplated purchasing the
snakes, they assured him, by Gunputi,
that the fangs were undoubtedly ex-
tracted. For few rupees he bought
the reptiles and turned them loose in his
own bedroom, where he used to watch
them crawling along the bamboo mat
ting, shifting with their cold noses
against the walls, or twisting them
selves up within each others coils like
slimy knot.
He made little box for them, lined
with cotton wool, into which they used
to creep in the heat of the day, for at
nighttime they were always peculiarly
active, probably because the weather
then was comparatively cool. In differ
ent parts of the room he laid down plat
ters full of milk, and toward these the
cobras crawled whenever they felt in
clined for food. 1t would seem almost
as if they knew his voice, for when
Quain entered the room and spoke, they
would lift their heads and crawl slowly
in his direction. He even had pet
name for each, but I am not aware that
any of them recognized it, for when he
called, they would both wriggle quickly
to his feet. He often fed them himself
when they came to him in this way, and
many persons used to call and see
Quain's loathsome pets, which were con-
sidered one of the wonders of the Can
tonments.
Ladies were frequently invited to call
at Quain's bungalow, and see what
human being could do by kindness, etc.,
even with cobras; but they were mo1e
interested in the phenomenon in the ab-
stract than in detail, and preferred to
stay away and hear all about it from
the officers who called upon them. Most
of them agreed that Mr.. Quain certain
ly had very singular tastes, and that it
would be an outrage for any person to
marry him. Quain, however, lived
through warnings and ridicule, and
went on feeding his cobras.
Quain had a small imported Scotch
terrier, which was great favorite, as it
had a wag of the tail and a merry little
bark for everybody that looked respect
able and friendly. Zip used to go
regularly into the cobra-room with his
master, and, after he became accustomed
to the reptiles, would crouch down
bark at them, and then leap and tumble
over their backs. The snakes would
only wriggle out of the way, Zip follow.
ing them and barking at their tails, SC
that everybody believed and said that
the terrier and the snakes were the best
of friends.
About four months after Quain's pur-
chase of the cobras, he entered the
room with some bread and milk and
called them to him. Both glided noise
lessly to his feet and Tapped contentedly
at the milk. Zip, pretending to be
jealous, jumped forward barking, and
leaped with his, forepaws upon one of
the cobras. 1t shook itself out, and
went on tapping. Zip then went for its
head, and jumping and running back,
barking all the time, made a playful
snap at its head. The cobra ceased
tapping the milk, reared its head about
foot from the ground, and with its
specialized, outstretched hood, COM
menced waving the upper part of its
body to and fro. Zip made one more
jump forward.
Like Lightning the cobra struck at the
dog, and then wheeled of, kissing, to
its lair beneath the couch. In ten min
utes afterward, after enduring horrible
sutferings, poor Zip lay dead with his
master almost crying over his body.
Quain then learned for the first time
that a cobra can renew its fangs in about
three months, that his pets had re-
newed their fangs, and that he had
actually been playing with certain death
for several weeks. The accidental
death of the dog had in all probability
saved his life.