The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-15
GOOD STORIES OF THE PRESENT DAY.
= Chapter Devoted to IndIn's Worst
Enemies.

= Chapter Devoted to IndIa's Worst
Enemies.
Go where you will In India, you will find
danger lurking about your hammock or dog
gng your footsteps. You are not much safer
in n largo city than In the country. was
stabbed by would be robber almost in the
heart OF Bombay. and poisonous spider bit me
in ono of the parks OF Calcutta and caused me
n months visit to the hospital. Before the Brit
ish advent India must have been what might be
termed paradise hell. 1t swarmed with
Thugs, dangerous fanatics. and real lunatics.
and no spot was safe from savage boasts and
dangerous reptiles. Forty years OF progress
and civilization. with the expenditure OF mil
lions upon millions OF dollars in the shape Of
rewards. have only made certain neighbour
hoods comparatively safe. The Thug travels
no moro in bands and tho dangerous fanatic
is confined in asylums. but the tiger, the hye-
ma, the serpont. the bear. the crocodile taran-
tula. and II score OF other dangers menace hu-
man life every hour in the day. ana will con-
tinue to do so for centuries to come.
A friend OF mino had summer residence
about ninc miles from Lucknow, and | ac-
ceptel his invitation TO spend few weeks
with him. He had alb rut 300 acres of land. a
large part OF which was forest and thicket.
with creek running across portion OF the
estate. The idea in India is to keep cool
Therefore, every house Is built with this idea,
being provided with as many windows as
possible, and always surrounded with veran-
das ! had never seen cobra, except In
geological gardens. when went out there. but
l was fated to have an adventure almost as
soon as arrived. My bedroom window was
at corner OF tho second story OF the bunga-
low and contained three windows. These were
screened with wire and the sashes taken out. A
hammock was slung to hooks In the ceiling.
and the room was fairly comfortable even on q
very hot night.
On the third morning, Just al daybreak,
was aroused from sleep by a noise on the YER
andah which ran along under my bedroom
windows. Ny hammock was within two feet OF
one of the windows. and of course the wire
cloth admitted every sound from the outside.
As the grounds were guarded by two chowka-
dars. or watchmen, had no fear Of thieves.
and therefore had no arms within reach. lay
facing the window, with my face not over thir-
ty inches from the screen. and was wondering
what had caused the noise. when a big cobra
suddenly lifted his head against the outside Of
the wire, and his eyes looked into mine. For
half a minute it seemed as II my heart did not
beat at all. Had the window been uDguarded
| could not have raised finger to ward Off the
attack. The serpent Missed ut me and moved
his hideous head all over the screen looking
for some break in its surface. 1t bulged In as
he pressed on it. and, knowing how slovenly
work is done by Indian servants. expected it
10 give way at any instant After couple of
minutes the snake went to the second window,
and then to the third. searching every square
inch in hopes 10 lind way into the room.
After he lett the window directly In front OF
me might have dropped out OF the hammock
and got my revolver from the bureau. but 1t
~ IN m q
would be pretty sure to make more vigorous
attack. l etefore lay perfectly quiet. closed
after going over n the windows second and
third time heard him crawling around the
ana called to my ny 0 friend. la and he seized a
d uble ;barre!ied shotgun and passed through
the halls until he found the serpent ton, on the
seeking an entrance by the windows. aud was
mounting to tho roof when a cnarge of buck
cut him almost in two. No one was at all eX-
cited: the incident seemed to have no more
weight than the visit of bat
A week later two OF the servants accom-
panied me on hunt around the neighborhood
after birds. Neither was armed and both were
the marshy ground al ong the creek shot sew
eral birds OF the snipe species. and we were
was in tho lead and following path. halted.
turned back and quietly said
We had better 20 another way. sahib."
because the crocodile might do us harm"
| advanced 10 the spot where he had halted.
and ut once made out a huge saurian lying In
the creek right across the path, and evidently
waiting for some one to cross. This was not
over a quarter of a mile from the bungalow.
and the saurian had evidently come down the
creek from a small lake about two miles awav.
l made ready to fire at hi but one OF tho
Please don't. sahib. If you anger him he
will bring others to make. US trouble"
" But he ought TO be driven away or killed"
Yes, but when there are a Thousand more
In the LAKE what would you gain 2
away. That night number OF the servants
crossed tho creek to attend some sort Of q
party. and in the morning a young man was
decided that the crocodile had seized him as
he attempted TO cross the path. said to tho
native who hsd de vital SSu my d fire. Had killed
the reptile tho young, man would have been
with us this morning"
him, and then he would have taken two OF u.s.
can soon find another Young man.
S sS mes G9G% on the ne
officers with whom | was acquainted had
shooting box, and ! went up with party to
try along the stream: aad although so near to
a village this fact did not render game any less
Tiers and a score OF hyenas, had been baeged
there within two years but It stlll remained a
iay2rite lurking sIa! ground TOR big Dig game: AS
mad LSt TO the Government from this place, and
found that tho average OF natives bitten by
wild beasts was over three per week the year
round. These were tho figures reported but
only ono loss in three Is reported by the ma
tiyes. as they persist IN believing that the
blanks sent In by officials are somehow
connected with taxation or official surveil-
lance. Two days before we started a native
came In to the civil authrities to report a case.
lie said:
mother at MuEador IA village seven miles
away my brother and /. We were IN path
g me aSfeSS u 70 two sG'9 6onrs a9 was
We were very harry. and he was telling me
story which his wife had told him. when tiger
tiger stood oyer him. with both paws upon his
breast, and looked at me and ,grUwled. and
switched his tail. | could do nothing. walked
backward in the path; and the tiger seized my
brother by the shoulder, gave him a half whirl.
Hnd then tE hoy away inc me thicket have
Yes" carelessly replied the Official ms he
took down brief memoranda
Can 20 now"
You can. but be more careful In the future.