Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-05-14
rAE TERRIBLE COBRA.
midas venomous Serpent That IL so
Dreaded by the Natives.


Dreaded by the Natives.
It was q hot Sunday morning in India,
without n cloud in the brazen skies, says
a writer in the Christian Intelligencer.
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 Telu-
gu school-teacher appeared, saying:
''Sir, big cobra has just been chasing
n frog through the whole length of our
front veranda. lie struclE at it again
and again as it sprang past the open
doors of your sitting-room. but the frog,
uttcring piercing shricl1s las frog can
when pursued by a serpcnt) sprang
each time quick enough to elude its
jaws, and together they rushed off the
end of the veranda and tic frog spranc
under n box that is standing there, too
near down upon the hard floor for the
biz cobra to get under, and so escaped"
, "Wcll," said /, where is the cobra
now?" THAT is just what 1 don't
know" said he. "for while was look
ing to sec what had become of the frog
how he had got away-the cobra dis
appeared among the fower-pots, and I
cannot see where he has gone" lie
must have n hole there close by the
vcranda somewhere" said 1. "Will
you please 60 and watch until I come,
and sec if youcan get sight Of him again,
for he must be killed if he lives as near
the house rs that"
don't go a-shooting on Sunday, but
I went for my pistol then, for 1 consid-
cred it decidedly 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 n revolver, which l kept for trav-
cling through the jungles at night,
went to hunting for the cobra's hole.
Two large native flowcr-pots stood
about six feet from the end of the We
randa, with each beautiful rose grow
ing in it, of which my wife was very
fond, and beside which she almost daily
stood picking off dead leaves or water
ing and tending the roses. soon dis
covered n hole in the ground about as
large rs my wrist, partially concealed
by the grass that was growing right be-
tween the two tlower-potS, which were
far enough apart for person to stand
between them. The hole went down
pcrpcndicularly growing larger as it
went deeper. It took but 4 moment to
bring hand-mirror and throw Il re-
Election of tie bright sun right down
into the hole. 1t revealed 4 horizontal
chamber only n foot or SO deep, and the
glistening scales of cobra coilcd up at
rest.
Taking piece of broken wagon~tire
in my left hand to stop up the hole with
and placingthe end of it slantingly in
the hole, 1 fired down into it. Not q
motion was seen. / had missed. Turn
ing the tire up cdgewisc 1 fired again.
What 4 squirlning there was! The
cobra had been wounded. lie struck
| up viciously at the iron, which was
turned down fat rs soon as had fired
to keep him from darting out at US. 1
turned the iron cdgcwisc and fired again
and again. When l had unloaded the
sixth barrel let him strike his head
out and caught it against the side with
the iron tire. L had brought with INC q
| pair of large hcdge-Shcars. With these
l caught hold of his protruding neck
and with n stout pull with both hands
pulled him out and gave him tlirt out
into the compound. What n scattering
there was of mon, women, and children
My attention had been so taken up by
the snake that had not noticed what Q
big crowd had gathered around. How
they screamed and RAM for they did not
know that the grip of the shears had
diSlOcatcd the fellows neck, and seeing
a full-sizcd cobra flying out toward
them they seemed to think he was
/ apringing at them.
AS l had grasped the head of the co
bra with the shears l had given tho
wagon-tire to the teacher, asking him
to insert the end again instantly that
drew the cobra out, for where one co
bra is you will usually find Il second.
CaInc back and threw the rays of tn,
sun in again. Yes, there were brigh
cobras scales and another cobra wrig
cling. Loading my pistol again re
pratcd the firing, hoping that he would
strike his head out, SO that 1 coulc
catch his head also. Squirm and strike
rs he did his head did not come out O