The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-06-19

Cleans Ont Cobra Hole.
It was q hot Sunday morning in India
without cloud in the brazen skies,
writes correspondent of the Christian
Intelligencer. We had Just come homo
from early morning service. and had
taken our seats at the breakfast table.
At the open door of our dining-room our
Telugu school teacher appeared, saying;
"Sir, big cobra has just bcen chasing
frog through the whole length Of your
front veranda. He struck at it again
and again as it sprang past the open
doors OF your sitting-room, but the frog,
uttering piercing shrieks las frog can
each time quick enough to elude its
jaws, and together they rushed of the
end Of the veranda, and the frog sprang
under box that is standing there, too
near down upon the hard floor for the
big cobra to get under. and 80 escaped"
WELL" said l, "where is the cobra
now?" That is just what / don't
know" said he, "for while was look
ing to see what had become of the frog,
how he had got away. the cobra disap-
pcared among the flower pots, and I can
not see where he has gone" "He must
have hole there close by the veranda
somewhere" said l. "Will you please
60 and watch until come. and see II
you can get sight of him again, for he
must be killed II possible II he lives as
near the house as that"
don't 60 a-shooting on Sunday, but
went for my pistol then, for ! consid-
cred IL decidedly work of necessity
and mercy to put IN end to the danger
Of ourselves or our people being bitten
by that deadly cobra. Soon appearing
with revolver, which kept for travel
ing through tho jungles by night, went
TO hunting for the cobra's hole.
Two large native flower pots stood
about six feet FROM the end of tho YER
anda, with each beautiful rose growing
in 1t, Of which my wife was very fond.
and beside which sno almost daily stood
picking off dead leaves, or watering and
tending the roses. | soon discovered a
hole in the ground about as large as my
wrist, partly concealed by the grass that
was growing right between the two
flower pots, which were far enough
apart for a person to stand between
them. The hole went down perpcndicu.
lagiy, growing larger as 1t went deeper.
1t took but moment TO bring hand
mirror sad throw the reflection Of the
bright sun right down into the hole. 1t
revealed horizontal chamber only q
foot or so deep, and the glistening
scales of o cobra coiled up at rest.
Taking piece of o broken wagon
tire in my left hand to stop up the hole
with. and placing the end Of 1t slant.
ingly in the hole, fired down into the
hole. Not motion was seen. / had
missed. Turning the tire up edgewise
! fired again. What q squirming there
was! The cobra had boen wounded
IIo struck up viciously at the iron
which was turned down fat as soon as
had fired, to keep him from darting ou
at us. turned the iron edgewise ant
fred again, and again. When had un
| loaded the sixth barrel let him STRIKE
| his head out, and caught it against the
| side with the iron tire. ! had brough
out with me pair of large hedge
shears. With these caught hold OF his
protruding neck, and, with stout pul
with both hands, pulled him out ant
| gave him o flirt out into the compound
What scattering there was OF men
women and children. My attention ha'
been so taken up by the snake that
had not noticed what a crowd ha
gathered around. How they screamo
and ran! for they did not know that tn
grip of the shears had dislocated tn
fellows neck, and, seeing fuil-siae
cobra flying out toward them, the
seemed to think that he was springin
anthem.
AS ] had grasped the head OF tn
cobra with the shears, had given tn
wagon tire to the teacher, asking hil
to insert the end again instantly that
drew the cobra out, for where one cObg
Is you will usually find . second.
came back and threw the rays Of the su
In again. Yes, there were brigt
cobra's scales and another cobra wril
ging. Loading my pistol again I r.
.eatod the firing, hoping that he woul
strike his head up out, SO that coul
catch his head also. Squim and strils
Us he did, his head did not come out {
the hole until had fired many time
but 1T finally came, and secured hi
also. On drawing him out and examiI
ing him closely, we found fourtee
pistol ball holes through his body. an
still there was fight in him. Any thre
OF th' wounds would have proved fat;
in time; but he died making u splendi
fight. We laid the oobras o,.t In I'll
veranda and measured them. One
them measured five feet eleven inch.
and the other six feet and two inche
than which one rarely finds q cob,
larger. Their hole showed that the
had evidently boon living there rigl
among the flower pots that were tende
daily and within six feet of our verand
and within TWELVE feet Of my stud
door, for weeks or months. Though I'll
cobra Is the deadliest serpent know
and thousands OF persons die OF the
bite yearly in India, no one in our mi
i - y - 4 \ l.