The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-09-20

opening-the doorway-we soon had a
net drawn across it. Then some OF
the men and boys began pounding on
the hut with clubs and making a great
row, and directly the snake made a
rush. He vas caught as a fish traps
himself in a pound net, but he did not
submit until after Il terrible struggle.
The natives called him an indnr, but
in appearance he greatly rcsembled
the American blaksnake. lie was
nine feet long, ringed with orange,
and was possessed OF great strength
and a terrible temper. After he had
tired himself out we landed him in the
cage, and to prove to us that he was
poisonous 4 piece of fresh meat was
held out to him on the end of a stick.
II fifteen minutes after he had struck
1t the meat turned green, and in half
an hour it smelled so horribly that We
had to throw it away.
We did not get through with this
first capture until about noon. and d.
rectly after dinner a woman came to
tell us that u salnpur was basking in the
sun on a fiat rock. This serpent was as
much dreaded as the African nalabar.
being ready to attack human beings
on sight, and having a 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. 4 scout
was sent out who came back to report
that his snakeship was lying In his
coil in a convenient spot for u opera
tons, and We moved upon him. As an
Offset for his dangerous characteristics
nature makes the sampur hard OF
hearing and a heavy sleeper. Using
the utmost caution. our head native
approached with a cast net, and by a
successful throw made the dangerous
fellow Il 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 sore.
1t was not much Of a feat TO secure
the serpents We wanted. and in the
course Of a fortnight We were ready to
pull up stakes. Then occurred an in
cident which almost made an old mar
of me in an hour. The hut | occupied
had been used as a storehOuse. On
each side Of the single doorway was a
stout fence made of poles running out
about twenty-five feet. thus making a
ian" or passage about three feet wide.
When the house was filled with grain
Il sentinel watched at the mouth OF
this lane. Only one person could 60
Dor come at a time, and each was thus
under supervision. They had slung a
hammock for me SO that | faced the
door and looked down this lane when
lying on my right side. Each night a
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 SER
penis. On this night | turned in at
about ten o'clock. Half an hour later
it began to rain heavily, and in a few
minutes all the fires Were out. The
rain continued until after midnight,
and then it cleared up and the moon
oSe | had slept for an hour, and
awUke just as the light OF the moo
came yer the Jungle. 1t shone full
up the lane, aud the first thing my eyes
rested on was a large cobra making its
way toward NE. We had cen none of
them in our two weeks stay, but |
knew the species the instant | caught
his motion My two guns We're in the
hut. To spring out OF the hammock
and seize one Of them and lire at the
serpent was the work OF ten seconds.
That was my programme, but as |
made the first movement found myself
fast. | had not removed my trousers,
and the buckle had worked itself down
among the tibres and become fast.
| had only time for the one effort.
10 get clear | must dump myself out
on my knees, and the serpent was too
near for that. The cobra might flee in
alright, but he was more likely to
upon Inc. And suppose there
was u pair Of them, and the other had
already entered the hut. In ten seconds
after this thought came to me | was in
a cold sweat, and st weak that | could
not have stood on my feet. The slight
movement | had made alarmed 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 me ! could
neither raise a finger nor utter Il sound.
You may smile at the idea of a man
being SO %unnerved, but | was COM
pletely helpless. | had faced every
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 a dead man. had seer his VIC
Tins by the dozen, and knew some
thing Of the agonies they suffered be-
fore death came as Il merciful relief.
The serpent might have been ten
minutes crawling the fifteen feet which
brought him into the hut. AS soon as
the darkness, and | could no longer
see him. ! heard him crawling about
V e the dried grass on the floor, how
ever, and knew that it was only a ques-
ton Of minutes when he would seek a
closer acquaintance with me. He
might not strike me at once. The