Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-11-23
EAST INDIA MONSTERS.
A COBRA AND A TIGER-A FEARFCL
CONFLICT.

w nll6 Tue uumOoI VI pcloOho III
India who lost their lives by ser.
pents and wild animals, as returned
each year by official record, is so
great as to amaze US, l am satisfied
that not more than two.thirds of
the actual number are returned. /
passed FIVE years in that country,
most of the time IN the interior
among the natives, and l know
how impossible 1t is for officials to
collect anything like trustworthy
statistics under this head. The
head men OF villages are supposed
to report to certain officials, but
they do so only under pressure.
Where a report would give a dis
trict a bad name, it is altered and
amended, and no doubt, the gov
ernment connives at this. The
amount OF money paid out as boun-
ty each year to the slayers OF ser
pents and wild ANIMALS is enOr-
nous, and Is increasing yearly,
proving that all attempts to even
lessen the general evil have result
ed in failure. The tiger, hyena.
tiger wolf and other dangerous
beasts have been driven back as
towns and cities have been built
up, but they have not been exter-
minated, nor have their numbers
been greatly lessened. In 1888 a
tiger killed a man within three
miles of the railroad depot at
Hyderabad. In that same year a
tiger carried off and devOured an
English girl from the suburbs of
BeDgalore. Deadly serpents are a
terror to-day in the outskirts of
Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, and
other seaports. Under the tropi-
cal heat of India animal and insect
life is called into being so rapidly
and nature furnishes such bounti.
tul nourishment that it will eyer be
a country of danger. have had a
tiger snuff at me as lay wrapped
in my blankets in a Jungle camp
hundred miles from town, and [
have entered a bedroom in house
at Calcutta to 6nd that cobra held
| possession.
From the Bengal line on the
north, to the city Of Hyderabad on
the south, and from SOnpur on the
east to the sea coast on the west,
lies a great territory without rail
road crossing it. Several large
rivers cut through it, and there
are various military roads, but
NagpoOr is the only town of any
Importance. This area of country
is hill, valley, plain and jungle, and
a great army might march through
it aud across it and back again,
and not frlghten its perils away
1t was from NagpoOr that | went
out on a commission for al animal
house at Amsterdam-one of the
most singular orders We ever got
IL was for a den Of poisonous
snakes for an American circus, and
it was expressly stipulated that nc
serpent whose bite was not known
to be fatal should be accepted
Having constructed the proper
cages and collected party of ma
tves with experience, we started
off and made a two days jOurne.
to the south. This brought as int
the hi1s and jungles, with anima
lite as plentiful and a
savage as before f glish se
foot in India. We made our head
Quarters at a village called Boos
CHAT, and were assured that W
wooId have no trouble in loading
ship with poisonous reptiles, to sa.
nothing of wild animals. The hea'
man informed me that thirty-thre
of the villagers had lost their live
within twelve mouths OF snak
bites, and that no record had bee
sent to Nagpoor, as required b
law.
; 'It would give us a bad name
and do nobody any goOd," he e1
planned. -
"But they want to publish tn
figures in England and elsewhere,
l protested.
: "What nonsense :" be exclaimed
! "Who Will care to read such
record"