Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-02-19
SNAKE STORIES.
Tales Of midas Fearful Pest, the Cobra-A
Missouri Fable.

SNAKE STORIES. I
Tales OF midas Fearful Pest, the COBRA
Missouri Fable.
The cobro is without doubt the most
fearful pest of pest-ridden India. Sir
Joseph Fayrer has shown that of twenty
thousand persons annually killed by
wild animals and reptiles in India, sew
enteen thousand die from snake poison.
OF these again more than one-half are
set down to the cobra, which is found in
all parts of the country, from Ceylon to
the Himalayas. When one thinks, too,
of the inevitably large number of UNI
recorded deaths from the same cause in
India, and the number killed in many
other Asiastic countries, where no stat
istics whatever are obtainablc, it will be
plain that the sum total must be some
thing appalling. And yet they may be
expected at almost any time to visit the
Indian country-house: may be found in
your bed, your cupboard, your boots.
A correspondent Of Nature states that
he found one in the lining of his
%brougham and another in the sleeve of
n of his wite's dresses, which was
hanging some feet above the floor.
Horses instinctively avoid the cobra;
whole herds of COWS or buffaloes will
flee before a single one; even the tiger
breads it. A gentleman in the civil serv-
ice of India had a pet tiger confined
in a strong cage, which often got so
noisy and disagreeable that 1t had to be
bambooed-a rather difficult job. One
day some one threw a fr%eshly-killed
cobra at his cage, which, getting en-
tangled among the bars, hung sus-
pended there. The tiger trembled from
head to foot, and skunk into the furthest
corner of his cage, putting up his fore
claws, with the apparent idea of pro-
tecting his head. He was completely
cowed until the defunct reptile was re-
moved. A monkey in Cochin China abb
solutely went into fits and tainted away
when the rather cruel experiment was
made of fastening a dead cobra to his
collar. On the other hand, the cobra
| does not always have its own way.
There is a story of a duel, seen
from q window, between one of these
snakes and a female rat; the latter was
for a long time too agile for the heavy
movements of the cobra, and managed
to wound it severely, while it escaped
unscathed itself. At last, however, the
cobra managed to intlict a poisonous
wound, when, as though aware that it
was all over with her, the poor rat
rushedinto close quarters, firmly grasped
the snakes neck, with her teeth, and.
never let goE her hold again.
The cobra plunged about f%uriously,
but to 40 purpose. Adeath-grip was on
its throat, and both the, dueiists fell in
that struggle. ID spite Of it's viciousness,
and almost because of it, the cobra is the
snake selected by the so-called charmers
for their exhibitions. They assert that
the cobra is really the only snake that
will show fight, all the rest being slug
gish, and, while prone enough to bite,
can not be taught to perform any tricks.
The fangs are usually extracted. Some
times the tables are turned and the snake
itself becomes the charmer, fascinating
its victim. The story goes that a young
girl of thirteen, living with her parents
in Franklin County, Missouri, was found
to be gradually wasting away in a de-
cline, at length becoming. little more
than a mere skeleton. A popularity Of
the case was that she could not be in
duced to eat in the house, but alwaysin
sisted on taking her bread and butter,
or What not, to the banks of a %neighbor-
ing brook, where she would remain for
hours together. At length her anxious
father determined. unknown to her, to
watch her movements. One day she had
been sitting quietly on the bank for some
time when she returned to the house
and asked for food. This was given to
her, and she went back to the brookside,
her father s%tealthily following her.
To his horror he saw a huge
black snake slowly raise its head
into the child's lap and take
pieces of bread and butter from her
hand. If she veptured to take a bite
herself the snake Kissed and showed
signs of anger, when the child would
tremble like a leaf, and Immediately
give her food to the reptile. The father
was completely paralyzed, and groaned
in his agony. The noise disturbed the
snake, which glided away, and was,
for the time being, lost to sight. The
child refused to answer any questions;
she appeared, indeed, incapable of SO
doing, It was determined that she
should be allowed to 90 once more
to the bank where she had been accis.
toned to sit, in order to allure the
snake to its doom. Next day, then,
the girl went with her little meal to the
brook side, and the moment the reptile
appeared the father, who was on the
watch, shot it through the head,
The child tainted at the sight; the
snake writhed and died. The poor
little girl never recovered the shock,
and came to her senses only to swoon
again and again till she expired, appar
entity in great agony. What vas the
mysterious inluence?-Good Words.