Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-17


enjoy the freshening. Notified tOads hop
psd contentedly along, ready to snap up
with their tongues any iuckless bugs that
happened IN their way; an orchestra of
long banished frogs were slice PLY finish
ing the last notes OF their jubilee of re-
turn. The lower growth OF the hedges
was whitened with clustering snail
shells. A slight furroW across mud
puddle marked the track of snake which
little further on had hung its discarded
skin on thorn bush to dry, aud myriads
OF cochineal insects, as rich in color and
as soft to the touch as carmine velvet,
played with the rain drops on the fresh
sproutlng grass, rubies and diamonds in
setting OF emerald. The birds alone
seemed subdued by the drenching,
and the crows hoarsely croaked their
pRotesu from the leafy tamariId trees.
In going TO the stable from his front
door Brutus HodsOn had to pass little
sequestered veranda leading off from the
bathroom, and here he spied the recreant
horsekeeper apparently asleep. The irate
engineer reached the veranda with a
bound, and in moment would have
kicked the native into consclou sness,
when he stopped, arrested Dy something
terrible In the reclining mans face. The
Hlndoo's features were ashy pale, and his
eyes rolled as if he was in deep agony.
His lips parted, and Mr.. Hodson leaned
forward instinctively to catch his words,
but started back as, with slight move
ment In the folds OF the blanket over the
mans breast, cobra protruded it's hide
GUS head and Kissed.
The gray hue of the horsekeeper's face
| grew grayer; tho flesh seemed to waste
away In his terror, sharpening his nose
and following his cheeks; his eyes start
ed from their sockets: beads OF perspira-
ton stood on his forehead and fieck of
| foam oozed from his lips. Fortunately for
the mans life and reason, he lost con-
| seriousness. The snake drew still further
out from the blanket, and spread its hood.
| and for a few seconds-they seemed hours
! its head vibrated over the blanched face
| ready to strike at the quIver of an eyelid.
| But fright had robbed the man of the
| power or even this slight motion, and
| the cobra. apparently Modified, lowered
| its head and gllded back into its warm
bed,
Engineer aodson, although brave man
and not unaoquainted with the East
Indian MILAN pambu, had left the yer.
| anda more rapidly even than he had come
upon it. From behind neigh boring pillar
he watched the snake, not venturing
nearer or into open view for fear that he
| might eXasperate the reptile and en-.
| danger his gro0m's life. AS the snake
| disappeared IN the blanket he dashed
| around the corner of the bungalow to take
| counsel with the maty, who in turn sum.
moned the fat cook from the kitchen. Both
men were nearly upset by the engineers
story and were of little use in the emer.
| gency. One suggested that a mungOOse
| little bushy tailed animal halt the size
of a cat, which has a deadly antipathy
| for the cobra and is the only known cPea.
| ture that can receive the serpent's bite
| without fatal effect, be brought to the
horsekeeper's succor; but valuable time
would be lost in searching for the owner
of one and, beside, a sanguinary conflics
between the animal and the reptile in 80
close proximity to the PROSTATE Hindoo
could hardly be without serious results
to him. In the midst of their perplexity
the bandyman. a quick-witted, athletic
fellow, with perfect self-control, came into
the cow pound ON his way to the stable
to give the engineers bullocks tbeil
morning fodder. Having learned OF the
kuthuraikarun's danger, he shifted the
quid of betel from his left to his RICH
cheek, wrinkled his forehead in thought
for few seconds, and then asked:
"Have you some eggs and milk and a
broody hen? And is the doray's gun ready
to shootW F'-i 500 -'
The questions, jerked out rapidly
elected no verbal replies, but had the
effect OF scattering the bandyman's audi.
epce; the cook waddled with unusual
spryness towards the kitchen door, the
maty disappearing in the direction of the
ben house, and the engineer fairly flying
into the bungalow. The bandyman stood
still, and with stentorian voice shouted,
"Orupuddy," and faint reply came back
from distant part Of the large garden
In a surprisingly short time the cook. the
49, 81. rz,,fu v,at A~ot
bearing several eggs and a shallow chat.
tie of milk, the second struggling with an
exceedingly angry and expostuating hen
just dragged from her nest, and the last
slipping two shells into his breechloader
as he ran,