The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-22
THE BROWN DEATH"
Startling Experience of a Gentlema
in Burmah.
From the Detroit Free Press.

From the Detroit Free Press.
! was living in the town OF Akyab,
which is a very old English port in Bur
nah, and among other men there l knew
and had business with a native born, but
Christian man named Mordai One day
he came to me and asked me to 60 over to
some property he had on a neiohboring
island. He had been having trouble about
boundaries, and wanted me to give him an
unbiased opinion. We started in a sail
| boat about - o'clock, and got to his place
about 4. He and / got out of the boat and
went up TO a small BUNGALOW he had built
there The Jungle bungalows are built
on posts about 6 to 10 feet from the
ground and consist Of simply the floor the
ROOF, and sometimes walls run up six or
seven feet. There is no ceiling, and
nothing overhead but the roof, which is
made of bamboo and matched withsleaves
from the toddy plant
We were setting on the veranda, the
roof which was not more than five
or six feet rom our heads Mordai was
talking TO me about the boundary, and 1
| had be, ONE quite interested III some
maps he had in his lap While engaged
In examining them, l felt something fall
and strike my shoulder. l rose quite
slowly, still talking to Mordal and
turned about TO see what was in my
chair, thinking that perhaps a piece of
bamboo had been blown down by the
wind. AS l turned my back was toward
Mordai and l was struck motionless by a
hoarse:
For Gods sake, don't move, Sahib!
From the horror in his voice l knew as
well as if | could see it that a cobra, or a
khorlte, equally deadly and more numer-
Gus IN that part, was on my shoulder. |
stood perfectly motionless, for knew
tnat the snake, being aroused now, would
strike if he felt the least movement.
Cold perspiration stood out on my fore
head, and ] set my teeth hard aud waited
/ 1T was Uoss-up, knew, either deliver
| ance, and that speedily, or the sharp
stlngtng punctures in my neck or head
and then-death. Every minute seemed
an age. My suspense was the most hor-
rible because | could not see my enemy,
and so could not tell the moment he would
strike.
Probably not a minute elapsed from the
time stood up until l saw Mordal APP
preaching me in front, but 10 seemed 10
me year. He had gone through one of
the rooms and thus got around in front of
me without disturbing the snake. In his
hand he held a Burmese dab "a sword)
and | knew that he meant to cut the snake
down with one stroke. He crept up close
beside me and raised the sword, trembling
IN every limb His face was CHASTITY and
his eyes seemed glazed with horror. The
sword trembled for a moment in his
nerveless hand, and then with hoarse
whisper of MY God, can't do it, " he let
it fall from his hand and tottered to a
chair. He was an old man and his nerve
had given way. He dared not risk the
result of his blow should he fail to cut
down the serpent.
When the sword fell l could feel a
elk fplrf hat TO- - IL
closed my eyes, expecting to feel the cold
pat and the sharp, stinging thrust of the
death-dealing fangs. stood perfectly
motiOnless, but my mind worked with
the rapidity of lightning. | felt almost
grateful that Mordai had not struck for
l could see that his nerves were so I'M
strung that he would in all probability
have missed the snake. l knew that our
servants and boatmen would soon be up
with our traps, and my only hope was to
stand still until they arrived
Time will never effect the memory of
that death wait from my mind In the
chair, shriyeled and CHASTITY. his hollow,
haf-glazed eyes staring at me with the
helpless, fascinated gaze of bird half in
the tolls of serpent, huddled Mordai.
His white, bloodless lips moved spasmodi-
cally, as over and over he repeated in
dread whisper, God the brown death. -
to my shoulder was a snake ten times
more maligant and merciless than a cobra,
and just as deadly-"The Brown Death"
of the natives, a reptile of which it had
been said, that if a man were to gaze for
any length of time into its eye he would
become insane. Unlike all other creatures,
it has no pupil to its eye-nothing but a
brown mass Of malignity
l do not know now long it was, but IL
seemed an eternity of time that l stood
thus. At last the swinging Madrassi
song OF the boatmen carrying the stuff
broke on my ears like a song Of deliver
ance. Dull aud monotonous it had
seemed to me often enough, but now it
sounded like the sweetest music ever
caroled. Their singing seemed to rouse
Mordai from his trance-like stupor, and
staggering out he embraced my faithful
servant, EmirA ALI, by the shoulder, and
with his lean, bony finger pointed toward
me. No need of explanation for Emir-
ALI. My heart gave throb of Joy when
/ saw his supple, careless form straighten
up and his black eyes glisten with the
light had seen in them before in time of
peril Twice before had we fronted
death together, and his nerves had been
steel and his heart had not faltered
Even now l see him as he stood Just out
side the veranda, one of the few natives
a white man had trusted, and met trust
for trust and loyalty ever.
Discarding his gaudy jacket, and gath
ering up his dote tight about his hips, so
that his sinewy limbs cleaned like those
of a statue, he set his square white teeth,
and Kissed through them an invocation TO
Allah. Grasping the dab in his powerful
hand, he stole as silently and as swiftly
toward me as the venemous creature on
my back mipht have done had he been
making the attack. Poised aloft was the
gliU1erlng eel for well he knew the
snake would keep his eye on the cleaning
blade. and there would be no movement
to disturb him till the downward rush,
and then -ah who could sayl Allah
would strengthen his hand, and direct the
edge Of the ade.
For a second he stood close beside me.
! might have touched him. His fierce
black eyes cleaned on the snake. / knew
he was drawing the SNAKES attention
from the sword 10 himself. / could feel
the slight vibration again and knew
that the snake was preparing to strike.
. And then-like fash of lightning
went the blade past my eyes-a Kissed
Allah" driven through clenched teeth
penetrated my half stupefed senses.
felt rush of something down my
back, and not knowing whether the snake
had been cut in two or missed, tottered
toward a chair. l had not taken a step
before Emir-Alli's strong arm was aLout
ME, and with tears of joy in his big
lusCrous eyes, the poor fellow was saying,