Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-04-11
TWO DEADLY REPTILES.
The Kairelt Bite Is Sure Death, ana 1h'
Cobra's Almost Sure

The KaireIt Bite Is Sure Death, anu 'n'
Cobra's Almost Sure.
A friend of mine in Bengal. in the
military service, who was bachelor
one day invited a friend to dinner with
him. The cook house was, as most
cook houses are in India about nifty
wards from the house. The friend ar
rived and they talked. Dinner Tune
came, but no request to come to din
ner. Half an hour passed and my
friend said: We'll, l wonder what's
the matter with the beastly cook. Hes
quite late" They talked on until an
hour had passed. Then my friend said:
well, we'll Just go out and see. And
what do you think they saw? Why,
above the door, with his head swing
ing from side to side through the tran
som and seesawing back and forth. was
a gigantic cobra. The cooks inside
were very much afraid and would not
venture out. of course. The guest
raised a shotgun and killed the poi
sonous cobra, though it was hard on the
house. They thought themselves lucky,
though, as may be supposed.
Nobody ever RECEIVERS from bite OF
the kaireit, and it is rare that any body
ever gets over the bite Of the cobra A
doctor in the army there had one that
he had half tanned as a monstrous GU
riosity. He was exhibiting it one day
to some friends when it bit him on the
finger. He was an expert and his rem
edies were right at hand. He instant
ly applied them and got over it, but il
he had had to walk up stairs even he
would have been a dead man. Mind
you, he was doctor,
One of my editorial associates on the
Pioneer, who belonged to the Natural
lists Club in Allahabad, one day
brought in a kaireit in a bottle. and
was exhibiting it to the members. ut
is dead said he, and he thought it
was, for it was all broken to pieces.
All at once the head began to wriggle
and bounce around. 1t could bite then
just as good as it could before. You
may guess there was a scampering.
That is a popularity Of these snakes
When you think they are dead they
are not. That is another reason why
they are so much dreaded.
The cobra OF which | have spoken is,
as you may have read, famous for its
ability to charm whatever it comes in
contact with, but / never dreamed OF
the powers OF the cobra until went TO
India. 1t raises itself about one-third
of its length from the ground, and.
distending its great hood, waves itself
back and forth. It's hood when open
looks as if the snake was cut length
wise in the breast, little like an open
coat A side view of it gives a notified
appearance of the shape of an inverted
pair OF spectacles. 1t waves itself
backward and forward, breathing and
blowing in mysterious way, and the
sight is so awful you can't take your
eyes off it. Its little eyes CLEAN like
two balls of fire, and when it strikes
there is nothing but blur, it goes so
fast.
The cobra in India is the serpent of
romance. Despite the fact that it is
deadly, the natives hesitate to kill it.
There are few places where this snake
will naturally live that haven't got
cobras, the natives are so superstitious
about them. They vary in length from
four to eight feet The king cobra, SO
called, is nothing but big cobra
The famous snake charmers OF India,
of whom have seen many, exercise
curious art with them. They are able
to put them to sleep with the weird
music Of their bagpipes. The cobra.
when about to spring, looks like the
devil incarnate.
A strange thing in India is that
every thing in the way OF serpent,
scorpion, tarantula or wild animal is
the color OF the background. 1t
matches the soil where it is found.
You see a royal Bengal tiger in Amer
lea or England and you can tell it right
of, but you see it there and someway
its stripes do not stand out and it
springs upon you unawares.
The snakes of India are in Bengal
and down south in Madras These
are the home OF the snakes. North
west India is not very snakcy. In
some places there are so many snakes
that it is simply hell on earth.
There are many other snakes than the
kinds have told you Of, and many Of
them are poisonous, but these are the
worst There are also centipedes five
inches long, and poisonous lizards that
drop their tails off and go right on,
thinking thus to dclude you, when you
have seen them first and get the drop
on them. San Francisco Examiner.