Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-01-31
ALL ABOUT TAME COBRAS.
The Gentleman Named Qnain. and the VERY
Narrow Escape He Had.
From the Youths Compan;on,l

Up in Poona, a delicate gentleman
named Quain, passionately fond of nat
ural history, was visited one morning by
three Hindoo snake 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.
It occurred to him that he might
train a couple of snakes, and be in a po-
sition to observe their habits closely.
He asked the snake-charmers if the
fangs of the cobras were out, and seeing
that he contemplated purchasing the
snakes, they assured him, by Gunputi,
that the fangs were undoubtedly ex-
tracted. For a few rupees he bought
the reptiles and turned them loose in his
own bedroom, where he used to watch
them crayling along the bamboo mat
ting, shifting with their cold noses
against the walls, or twisting them
selves up within each others coils Like q
Shiny knot.
He made a little box for them, lined
with cottonwood, 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
tiers full of milk, and toward these the
cobras crawled whenever they felt in
clined for food. It 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 a pet
name for each, but / 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.
+IdNiCo "CIC A4SsIASAtiy W
at Quain's bungalow, and see what a
human being could do by kindness, ETC.,
even with cobras; but they were moro
interested in the phenomenon in the 40
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 MIR. Quain certain
~ had very singular tastes, and that it
would be al 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 a great favorite, as il
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 tha'
the terrier and the snakes were the bes'
of friends.
About four months after Quain's pur
,hase of the cobras, he entered Tia.
room with some bread and milk aDt
called them to him. Both gllded noise
lessly to his feet and Tapped contented].
ct the milk. Zip, pretending to ~
jealous, jumped forward barking, an,
leaped with his forepaws upon 4 Q
the cobras. It shook itself out, al,
went on tapping. Zip then went for It
head, and jumping and running back
barking all the time, made a playful
snap at its head. The cobra cease,
tapping the milk, reared its head abou
a foot from the ground, and with il
specialized, outstretched hood, con
menced waving the upper part of it
body to and fro. Zip made n NOR
Jump forward.
Like lightning the cobra struck at til
dog, and then wheeled off, Missing, t
its lair beneath the couch. In ten I'LL
utes atterward, after enduring horribl
sutferings, poor Zip lay dead with h
master almost crying over his bod,
Qaain then learned for the first tin
that a cobra can renew its fangs in abol
three months, that his pets had /
newed their fangs, and that he h:
actually been PLAYING with certain dea'
fo- several weeks. The accident
death Of the dog had in all crobabili
saved his life.