Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-11-02

caught as a fish traps himself in a
pond net, but he did not submit until
after a terrible struggle. The natives
called him an indtH, but in appearance
he greatly resembled the American
black snake. He was nine feet long.
ringed with orange. and was possessed
of great strength and terrible tenn
per. After he had tired himself out
we landed him in cage, and TO prove
to us that he was poisonous piece of
fresh meat was held out TO him on the
end of stick. In Is minutes after he
had struck it the meat turned green.
and in half an hour it smelled so hOr
ribly that we had to throw it away.
We did not get through with this
first capture until about noon, and di-
rectly after dinner a woman came TO
tell us that a sampur was basking in
the sun on fiat rock This serpent
was as much dreaded as the African
malabar, being ready to attack hui
man beings on sight, and having
strength and temper which render
him a dangerous antagonist. We
must find him asleep and steal upon
him unawares, or some of us would
forfeit our lives. \ scout was sent out
who came back to report that his
snakeship was lying in his coil in
convenient spot for our operations,
and we moved upon him. AS an Off
set for his dangerous characteristics,
nature makes the sampur hard of hear
ing and a heavy sleeper. Using the
utmost caution, our head native APP
| preached with cast net, and by a
successful throw made the dangerous
fellow a prisoner 1t took us three
hours Of hard work TO get him into
the cage, and he did not quiet down
until he had thrashed himself.
1t was not much of feat to secure
| the serpents we wanted, and III the
! course of fortnight we were ready to
pull up stakes. Then occurred an in
| cident which almost made an old man
! of me in an hour. The hut | occupied
| had been used as storehouse. On
each side of the single doorway was Il
stout fence made of poles running out
| about % feet, thus making a lane or
passage about feet wide. When the
house was filed with grain n sentinel
watched at the mouth of this lane.
| Only one person could go or come at
a time. and each was thus under SUI
pervision. They had slung n ham
mock for me so that faced the door
and looked down this lane when lying
on my right side. Each night fire
was built just at the mouth of the
lane, and there were so many other
| fires scattered about that we felt safe
from tigers or serpents. On this night
| | turned in about 10 o'clock. Half an
hour later it began to rain heavily,
and in few minutes all the fires We're
ont. The rain continued until after
midnight. and then it cleared up and
the moon rose. | had slept for al
| hour. and awoke just as the light OF
the moon came over the jungle. 1t
shone full up the lane, and the first
thing my eyes rested on was large
cobra making its way toward me. We
! had seen none of them in our two
weeks stay, but | knew the species
the instant | caught his motion. My
/ two guns were in the hut. To spring
/ out of the hammock and seize one OF
them and fire at serpent was the
work of ten seconds. That was my
programme, but as | made my first
movement found myself fast. | had
not removed my trousers, and the
buckle had worked itself down among
! the fibres and become fast.
| had only time for the one effort.
To get clear ! must dump myself out
on my knees, and the serpent was too
! near for that. The cobra might flee
| in alright. bat he was more likely TO
spring upon me. And suppose there
was pair of them, and the other had
already entered the hut. In ten sec
onds after this thought came to me !
was in cold sweat, and so weak that
! could not have stood on my feet.
! The slight movement | made scared
! the cobra. and he coiled himself and
waited full two minutes before coming
! on again. ! ought TO move and also
use my voice. but for the life of Inc |
| could neither raise finger nor utter
a sound. You may laugh at the idea
| of man being so unnerved, but ! was
completely helpless. | had faced ev-
| cry sort Of wild animal, and ] had
taken some risks to make mems hearts
stand still, but this was a cObra-the
most dreaded of all the serpent race
in India. Let his fangs but touch my
/ flesh and was dead man. ! had
seen his victims by the dozen, and
knew something Of the agonies they
| suffered before death came "a a mer-
| ciful relief.
The serpent might have been ten
minutes crawling the - feet which
brought him into the hut As soon a.
/ he was over the threshold he was in
/ the darkness. and ] could no longer
see him. heard him crawling about
over the dried grass on the floor, how
ever. and knew that it was only a
question OF minutes when he would
seek a closer acquaintance with me.
He might not strike me at once. The
cobra never attacks unless cornered.
| 1t never strikes a sleeper, My ham
mock was slung about three feet from
the ground. After few minutes |
heard the snake crawling toward Inc,
and / prepared for the worst. When