Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-06
first acouaintance with a cobra VIZ,

NV f1rHf GOullQLAnCe WIN 3 cobra WEE
one night when, awoke by u loud bark
ing, rising half up in bed, I saw through
the open door of the adjoining bath
room where the night light burned, nv
two terriers barking furiously in fullb
tlefront of alarge cobra that was reared
onits tail andfacing themin turn. TWAS
motionless, except for a slow swaying
OF the head, it's hood was distended to a
complete circle, its tongue darted in
and out, while every now and again it
emitted a loud Kissing sound (Which at
first made me think of jungle cats) but
never once didit show trace of fear or
remove from the dogs the fierce. fas-
cinating stare that seemed to rouse
them to frenzy as they kept advancing
and retreating, but still carefully out
side the danger line. Fearing their
wrath, might get the better of their dis
erection, | leaped hastily up and dis
patched the reptile with a stick, when
the dogs, NO longer dreading their enc
my, vented their rage ON his inanimate
body; 1 remembered that during the
day Ihad been surprised while taking
my bath at the dogs silently and per-
sistently snut1ing around an old trunk
in the bath room, and that not in their
usual way when a rat or mouse was in
the question, but took little notice of it
at the time, though it was in front Of
this trunk the snake was reared, And I
have no doubt it was him they scented.
1 had to thank them in this instance at
least for the timely warning. Dogs,
however, will never attack a cobra at
bay. Their instinct seems to apprise
them of the risk. During the dry
months preceding the rains tbs cobra
and kraft often make their haunts
among the numerous rabbit burrows.
where they find temporary %feadquar-
tiers and a food supply in the intercept
ed rats. From installing the occupant
of a burrow, the lower castles of Hin
docs, who, like the Chinese, are very
partial to field rats as an%occasional
delicacy, sometimes ge5 bitten
An instance of the kind came with
in my ownnotice. The ground around a
large tamarind tree frontingEmy bunga-
low, where the horses were won't to
get their daily feed of oats--a custom
to prevent the bulk of it going to the
bazaar for the syce's benefs-had got
very much cut UP by rats, which had
been attracted there by the stray grains,
and were extending their raids to the
bungalow; so I,sent word to the nooncas
who had long cast wistful eyes on
the spot. After digging out some five
or six nests and uneartling about
thirty rats - the terriers finding de-
lightful sport in accounting for them
as quickly as they appeared - they
were digging out another burrow,
and had come near the end by the in
dication Of signs familiar to them,
when, as usual, one of them inserted
a hand to bring out the rats single
file, and SO prevent their emerging
in a body and some perhaps, escaping.
In an instant the man, with a terrible
yell, drew back his hand with a cobra
clinging to it. The reptile had seized
his finger, but was dispatched imme-
diately and arapid incision with a pen
knife and cautery with a hot iron in
the bitten part, along with a tight
life. Beyond a heavy drowsiness as
from a strong dose of opium, owing
no doubt to the very minute particle OF
the poison that had p%ermeated his sys-
tenn from the moments delay, he ex-
perienced no further ill effects. A
source of great annoyance occurs
when a cobra gets into a fowl house,
where it makes terrible havoc, seeming
to destroy from the pure love Of de-
stroying, and coming back again and
again to swell the number of its vic
Tins. 1t is not an uncommon thing to
find half a dozen fowls lying dead
each morning.-AW the Year Round.