The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-02-05
SNAKE STORIES.
India's Fearful Pest, the cobra-A
Missouri Fable.


Missouri Fable.
The cobra is without doubt the most
fearful pest of pcst-riddcn India. Sir
Joseph Fayrer has shown that of twenty
thousand persons annually killed by wild
animals and reptiles in India, seventeen
thousand die from snake poison. OF
these again more than onc-half are set
down to the account of the cobra, which
is found in all parts Of the country. from
Ccylon to the Himalayas. When one
thinks. too. of the inevitably large num-
bcr of unrecorded deaths from the same
cause in India, and the number killed in
many other Asiatic countries, where no
statistics whatever arc obt:.inablc,it will
be plain that the sum total must be
something 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 one of his wifc's dresses, which was
hanging some feet above the floor.
Horses instinctivcly avoid the cobra;
whole herds of cows or buffalocs will
flee before a single one; even the tiger
breads it. A gentleman in the civil ser
vice of India, had 81 pet tiger confined in
strong cage, which often got SO noisy
and disagrecable that it had to be ban-
boocd-a rather difficult lob. One day
someone threw frcshly-killed cobra at
his cage, which, getting entangled
among the bars, hung suspended there.
The tiger trembled from head to foot,
and skunk into the furthcst corner of his
cage, putting up his forcclaws. with the
apparent idea of protecting his head
He was completely cowed until the de-
funct reptile was removed. a monkey
in Cochin China absolutely went into
fits and fainted away, when the rather
cruel experiment Was made of fastening
n dead cobra to its collar. On the other
hand, the cobra does not always have its
own way. There is u story told of a
duel, seen from a window. between one
of these snakes and a female rat; the
latter was for long time too agile for
managed to wound it severely, while it
escaped unscatllcd itself. At last, how
ever, the cobra managed to intlict poi
sonous wound. when, as though aware
that it was all over with her, the poor
rat rushed into close quarters, firmly
grasped the snakes neck with her teeth,
and never let go her hold again.
The cobra plunged about furious
ly but. to no purpose. A death-grip
was OH its throat, and both the duclists
fell in that struggle. In spite of its
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 sluggish, and, while prone
enough to bite, can not be taught to
perform any tricks. The fangs are
usually extracted. Sometimes the
tables are turned and the snake itself
becomes the charmcr, fascinating its
victim. The story goes that young
girl of 13, living with her parents in
Franklin county, Missouri, was found
to be gradually wasting away in de-
cline, at length becoming little more
than mere skeleton. A popularity of
the case was that she could not be in
duccd to eat in the house, but always
insisted on taking her bread and butter.
or what not, to the banks of a ncighbor-
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 stcalthly follow
ing her. To his horror he saw huge
black snake slowly raise its head into
the child's lap and take pieces of bread
and butter from her hand. If she ven-
tured to take bite herself the snake
Kissed and showed signs of anger, when
the child would trcmble like leaf, and
Immediately give her food to the rep
tile. The father was completely para
lyzed, and groancd in his agony. The
noise disturbed the snake, which glided
away, and was, for the time being, lost
to light. The child refused to answer
any questions; she appeared, indeed,
incapable of so doing. 1t was deter
mined that she should be allowed to go
once more to the bank where she had
been accustomed to sit, in order to al
lure 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
wri,hrd and died. The poor little girl
never recovered the shock, and come to
her senses only to swoon again and
again till she expired, apparently in
great agony. What was the mysterious
iniluen:e?- Good Hoyds.
During practice trial at Santa Rosa, Cal,
catfish astonisaed the tire brigade by getting
into The nozzle and stopping the stream.
Pcnnsyivanians think there is M doubt
about this being happy New Year. The leg
islaturc will not meet ut all.