Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-11-22
BESlECED LOCOMOTIVE
4 Ride with IA Cobra on the Engine of aD
Indian Railway.

I n hIut Win u tObri the OF AD
Indian Hallway.
| was stationed at SoOramunralum
I in 1919, SAYS Il writer in an English
I paper. where | formed Il close friend.
/ ship with Tom NcWdcgate. the assist
| ant traffic manager of western section
OF The Chcnuaputnam railway. He was
i WldoWcr and was u bachelor and
being the only Europeans in the station
with the exception of Mai Nimrod. the
+ government district engineer. whose
duties seldom allowed him to be ii
home. we naturally spent good many
evenings at each others bungalow.
Il was Il very hot June evening. and
Tom and | were stretched in long
American chairs in the veranda of nv
bungalow smoking our 'trichc>" whcr
/ my I''hoNf came to me for my instructions
! about = journey ! had to make nv
( train on the following day to station
lew miles down the line.
The prospect was not pleasant one
a. the land wind was still prevailing
anil | had little inclination to face that
parching fiery blast. Therefore | did
not look forward with cagerne>s tc
Spending a day in the Oak bungalow al
. Suahrry DruoT.
Why not 20 Tonight" asked Tom.
+ II am ruunin" a special goods to
/ PothIuurc ut II O'Clock and YOU can he
+ dropped at Sunkcry. Or, better still.
| will 20 with You and We will ride on
( the engine. the coolest place in the train
by day OF night"
+ readily closed with the offer. tn,
. change OF travelling b, night instead OF
! by day at that time of the year being toe
/ good to be lost aud telling my boy r
I pack up a day'> provisions. not forget
ting bottle If ENshaw and half
dozen >oda-. and ordering the black
/ chef To join him with his cooking
( utensils, Tom and dnzed off in oui
+ chairs To he wakcncd AT IL 80 O'Clock
! Al that hour precisely we were aroused
/ hN the boys mouutouous sab, Sah''
I and we were forthwith driven to the
/ railway station.
+ We were soon of and found out at
. once that Tom was right about the
+ engine being the coolest place. The
velocity Of the engine creates a current
F of air which rapidly ahsorbs the
/ abundant moisture thrown out from
/ ones pores when the thermometer
/ registers gn degrees at midnight.
With our ch,roots burning fragran,ly.
/ We buwlcd along very chattily and felt
r,-rctful that We had not a longer run
before Us Nothing worthy of notice
had happened until the driver ordered
! hi> fireman to make up the furnace.
| Snnramungalum being upward OF 2O0
miles from the SRA coal or compressed
/ patent fuel would he too costly Ia burn
in the engines on account of the eS-
4. ltcu,c uf bringing il from the coast: he
/ sides coal ls'Ti>hr> very rapidly under
atrul,ical sun. Therefore. the furnace,
are constructed tn burn wood. os " hich
th,rs i, a fair supply available from
the coHpauN'> jungle reserves Oh
/ course ali fuel j. precious and driver.
! must take the fii with the l-an-,hat i.
/ roots n we'll A. logs.
/ Now. snakes very much affect the
! hollow CrryICr, of roots of old trees i'm
+ ludt, aud thus they are frequently
/ earned into the wond-yaris Nj III.
railway stations and thence are oc-
/ c.l~iunaliN transferred t. the engine
/ t,ud,'r-.
| This VAS exactly cur case. As the
| ijr.mau tnuS up lo- to throw ii into
/ thr furnace down dropped lively
+ cnhr.. uu the lootplatc. 1t wa, not =
/ very lIr-" species of ">pectaclr> -
| about feet luu. hut A foot hocder
| J. quite cnuu.sh I" grant a passport 10
| the >I"utc~t man that ever hoppcd and
| tn frank him Ia that country from whose
| huHru" no traveller returns. ~ being
/ tuIr human beings On that iout-p'ltr.
| aud consequently being somewhat
/ cg,.,drd W. skipped back with much
/ a.aerity Unfortunately none of III
/ li.,i a >iicA or the matter could speedily
/ have been ended. A. II w.t- all w
could hope for wa> that the rcptiI,
/ wuujd glide I'll the engine and drop on
! the track.
| Bat the creature showed no inclina-
/ ton to 20 Either it knew the bylaw
against leaving the train while In
| motion, or il liked the fierce heat from
| the open furnace. Ii reared itself up, and
| in the hop" Of frightening it | made .
( kick n it. taking care, of course not to
| lct my foot 20 within striking distance.
~ my light ducks would have been no
/ protection against those awful fangs.
| Ii wt> an unfortunate demonstration,
! fer the snake. 81 far from being i'll
| timidatcd, accepted the menace rs .
casus hrlli. and advanced upon us.
| We were besieged.
| The driver sprang out on one side OF
| the engine, holding on the hand-rail that
| runs ai"n" the boiler; the fireman went
| up the pile of logs behind him like .
mountain cat; Tom" vanished from
the scene on the opposite side of tn.
| engine to that the driver had taker
| calling TO me to follow him. They
were all rs much ut home skipping
around on that engine in the dark a.
| squirrels on the top branches of beech
| tree; but tn me the unfamiliar situation
was perfectly bewildering, and being
| partly fascinated by the loathsom.
| thing | was unable to stir, and my feet
| seemed rooted to the spot.
| The cobra raised itself to strike!
trfed to jump off the engine, but
/ could not move. | would have
called out but horror had tied my
tongue. The next instant l expected
| TO receive the mortal wound, when She
| fireman slipped down from the logs be
| hind the snake, seized it by the tail.
and flung it bodily into the furnace
| 1t was a relief to see that cobra squirm.
ing in the fire.
Sunkery Droog signals were now in
| sight. and Tom and l We're sOop
enjoying a peg in the station. But
before the train went on there was
a short interview between that fireman
and myself; and by the very broad grir
| on his gOod-natured face, and the hearty