The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-03-03
Personal Bravery.
FROM tke Indian Nail.


You often hear it said of man that he
doesn't seem to know what fear is. He
may not, so far as standing up before other
men or facing ordinary dangers, but there
are two dangers which no living man can
face and hold his nerve very long. | as
sert this because it has been my fortune to
meet some of the most courageous men of
this generation, and have had opportu-
mites to see their nerve under FIRE.
While l was in the employ of the En-
glish mail service in India, one of the ideas
worked out was speedier transportation.
New routes were selected to save distance,
and whenever it was possible the rivers
were made use of. On one occasion l was
descending the Little Rangoon river with
three natives and the mail bags, when we
were hailed from shore by an English
hunter who had been camping out among
the fierce wild animals and poisonous ser
pents for seventy days He was entirely
alone, and he had killed five leopards,
three tigers, six or eight large serpents and
much other game. He had several fresh
scars to prove hand to hand conflict with
wounded tiger, and the bare fact of his
being alone in that country, exposed to
almost every danger one could dream Of,
was proof that he was brave man.
He had raft at the bank and was about
to cross the stream. After visit of 4
quarter OF an hour we took him in tow and
dropped down about mile. We had just
headed for the other bank when | saw a
large crocodile rise to the surface just be-
hind the hunters raft The man had not
entered the boat with us, but was sitting
on his traps on the raft. | called to him
to shoot the reptile, and he rose and made
as pretty shot as one ever saw, striking
the saurian in the eye and killing him at
once. We were applauding the shot when
a dozen of the monsters broke water all
about the raft.
The hunter had repeating rifle, and he
stood on his feet and banged away right
and left as coolly as you please. | ordered
the men to cease rowing and got out my
own rifle, but before l had fired a single
shot monster crocodile climbed upon the
side of the light bamboo raft and upset it.
We backed water very rapidly, and it was
not over thirty seconds before boat and
raft had bumped. At the same instant
the hunter rose beside the boat, and one
of the natives pulled him in. While he
lay on the bottom of the boat We rowed
about and picked up such of his traps as
were ahoat. 1t was very little we saved
as his firearms had gone to the bottom and
his skins and pellets had been swiftly de-
voured by the crocodiles.
When came to offer the man some
spirits his looks had changed so that l
could scarcely believe he was the same man.
No one standing on the gallows trap could
have been more broken up. He had
scarcely swallowed the whisky when he
began to cry, and he insisted that we cover
him up in the bottom of the boat 1t was
a whole fortnight before the man recovered
his composure, while his nerve was gone
forever. He who had stood with knife
drawn awaiting the rush of tiger, and
who carried marks to prove his bravery and
his victory, had been totally broken up by
an experience of less than two minutes in
the water with dozen crocodiles. On one
Of my trips up the same river, and 100
miles from the coast, camped one night
with a party of British officers who were
out on a hunt. The leader of the party,
and the best shot and bravest man in it,
was Maj. Curtiss, man about 40 years old.
He had killed more wild animals than any
white man in the province. Armed only
with revolver, he had entered bungalow
in which murderer was concealed, and
taken him away from a crowd of his friends,
and delivered him over to justice. On a
bet of S15 he had swan the river amid the
alligators, and he would stand for the rush
Of tiger or the spring of panther with
laugh on his lips. They said of the major
that he did not know what fear was He,
perhaps, thought so himself.
The camp was on the bank of the river,
and only temporary one, and no tents or
covers were erected. We sat around the
fires until late hour, smoking and yarning,
and when we rolled ourselves for sleep the
major and I were only four.feet apart, with
nothing between us. The camp grew
silent at once, and everybody was soon
sound asleep. | was just DOING off when
l thought | detected the crawl of snake
near me, but after listening closely for
minute l concluded that it was lizard or
an insect.
Daylight was just coming when opened
my eyes. was on my left side, turned
toward the major, and l noticed that he
was on his back. Close beside me was
revolver, which had slipped out of its
holster the night before that ! might have
it handy in case of need. Not another soul
in the camp was yet aroused, so far as |
knew, and l lay listening to the noises in
the surrounding forest while daylight con-
tinued to grow stronger. l was about to
arise, when l suddenly saw the head of
serpent lift itself above the majors breast
and wave to and fro. shut my eyes for
a few seconds, and then opened them to
see the same sight again. even tried it
again and again, fearful that | was doz-
ing, and not wishing to believe what 1
plainly saw.
1t certainly was the head of venomous
serpent, a species closely resembling the
American black snake, and as deadly as any
serpent in India 1t waved its head and
darted its tongue for moment, and then
settled back into its coil. As soon as the
head went down 1 felt for my revolver and
drew back the hammer. The click click
alarmed the snake, as | knew it would, but
by the time it had elevated its head again
l had my arm outstretched, and the muzzle
of the revolver within two feet of him. 1t
was snap shot and had to be made on the
instant, and it was by pure good luck that
1 sent bullet through his ugly head. He
was writhing and Topping about as 1
sprang up, and was dead as | bent over
the major,
The snake had crept out of the bushes
and upon the majors breast early in the
night. 1t was not more than midnight
when the latter awoke and found the ser
pent coiled up, and he knew that any
movement on his part would result in GER
tain death. For three hours and half he
had rested on the broad of his back, never
moving muscle, with his eyes wide open,