The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-05-13
THE TERRIBLE COBRA.
India's Venomous Serpent That Is Sc
Dreaded by the Natives.

1t was hot Sunday morning in In.
dia without cloud in the brazen
skies, says writer in the Christian IN
tettigencer. We had just come home
from early morning services and had
taken our seats at the breakfast table.
At the open door of our dining-room
our Telugu schoolteacher appeared,
saying: "Sir, big cobra has just
been chasing a frog through the whole
length of our front veranda. He struck
at it again and again as it sprang past
the epen-doors of your sitting-room,
but the frog, uttering piercing shrieks
Gas a frog can when pursued by SER
penD sprang each time quick enough
to elude its jaws. and together they
rushed off 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 un-
der, and so escaped
Well" said l, where is the cobra
now?" That is just what I 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 dis
appeared among the fiower-pots. and 1
can not see where he has gone" "He
must have hole there close by the
veranda somewhere" said I. will
you please go and watch until l come,
and see if you can get sight of him
again, for he must be killed if he lives
as ne;sr the house as that"
l don't go a-shooting on Sunday.
but went for my pistol then, for ]
considered it decidedly a work of
necessity and mercy to put an end to
the danger of ourselves or our people
being bitten by that deadly cobra.
Soon appearing with Il revolver which
kept for travelling through the jungles
at night, l went to hunting for the
cobra's hole.
Two large native fower-pots stood
about six feet from the end of the
veranda, with each a beautiful rose
growing in it, of which my wife was
very fond, and beside which she almost
daily stood picking off dead leaves OF
watering and tending the roses. /
soon discovered hole in the ground
about as large as my wrist, partially
concealed by the grass that was grow.
ing right between the two flower-pots,
which were far enough apart for per.
son to stand between them. The hole
larger as it went deeper. It took but !;
moment to bring hand-mirror and
throw the reflection of the bright sur
a horizontal chamber only a foot or sc
deep, and the glistening scales of 6
cobra coiled up at rest.
Taking piece of broken wagon-tirt
in my left hand to stop up the hole
with and placing the end of it slanting
ly in .e hole, l fired down into it
Not motion was seen. l had missed
Turnins the tire up edgewise free
again. What squirming there was
The cobra had been wounded. HI
struck up viciously at the iron, whicl
was turned down flat as soon as soon
as had fired to keep him from dart
ing out at us. turned the iron edge
wise and fired again and again. Wher
I had unloaded the sixth barrel 1 lie
him strike his head out and caught i
against the side with the iron tire.
had brought with me a pair of larg,
hedge-shears. With these 1 caugh
hold of his protruding neck and with
stout pull with both hands pulled hin
| out and gave HIM a flirt out into tn,
compound. What scattering ther
| was of men, women, and children! M,
| attention had been so taken up by tn,
snake that had not noticed what bi:
| crowd had gathered around. How thel
screamed and ran! for they did no
known that the grip of the shears haC
| dislocated he fellows neck, and seeins
full-sized cobra flying out toward
them they seemed to think he wa
| springing at them.
AS had grasped the head of th
cobra with the shears I had given thu
wagon-tire to the teacher, asking hin
to insert the end again instantly that
drew the cobra out, for where on
cobra is you will usually find second.
| came back and threw the rays of the
sun in again. Yes, there were bright
cobra's scales and another cobra
wriggling. Loading my pistol again ]
repeated the firing. hoping that he
would strike his head out, so that
could catch his head also. Squirm and
strike as he did his head did not come
out of the hole until had fired many
times; but it finally came and l secured
him also. On drawing him out and
teen pistol-ball holes through his body,
and still there was fight in him. ANY
three of the wounds would have proved
fatal in time; but b; died making a
splendid fight. We laid the cobras out
on the veranda and measured them.
One of them measured feet II inches
and the other feet 2 inches, than
which one rarely finds cobra larger.
Their hide showed that they had evid-
emily been living there right among
the flower pots that were tended daily
and within six feet of our veranda and
within twelve feet of my study door for
weeks or months. Though the cobra is
the deadliest serpent known, and thous-
ands of persons die of their bites year.
ly in India. no one in our mission has
ever been harmed by one.