The Van Buren press., 1894-09-15
THE BITE OF A COBRA.
How the Man That Receives It
Must Suffer.
The Thrilling Story Told by \ British Sol
dier-A Horrible Experience That
whitcned His Hair-Through
Years of Torture,

WuUcheu HIS Hhlr-ThrOugh
Years of Torture.
II wonder what sort OF a sensation
1t Is to be bitten by cobra and know
that one must die in half hour or so?"
drawled out Capt Gordon, as he puffed
lazily at his cheroot on the veranda of
the One Hundred and Ninth hussars,
mess ut Fyzabad.
1t was after the mess dinner and the
regimental band had bagged their in
struments and gone silently away into
the hot sitting night Half dozen
officers were reclining In "long g-sleeved
chairs their feet up on the arms and
"pegs," with plenty Of ice, standing In
long glasses like grim sentries, to keep
the demon thirst away.
well, I know exactly how 1t feels,'
chipped in Bings-Bings, "tbe stole, :"
as he was called-with an earnestness
that fairly took away Gordon's breath.
Yes" added the new speaker, II
have been there, as they say, but lam
guage cannot convey the full horror Of
the feeling. 1t was years ago, when
first came out to Join, and we were
stationed in Burmah. was on special
duty out in the jungle, and where we
were located was the snakes paradise.
Hardly day passed that we did not
kill one or more either in or about the
bungalow. 1t was a continual cry of:
'Samp hal, sahib' IA snake, sir). with a
va1ul n ~ n a II N ~ out ~ all Tho oarro,+c
1T really seemed that all the poison.
GUS snakes in India had agents do
ing business In that part. Immense
boas, sleepy, devilish karaites, vicious
nsps and adders, and now and then a
cobra, chock full Of fight. No man
thought OF putting on his boots with
out giving them good shake first, and
even clothes were Inspected at arms
length.
II received rare shock one day-a
sort OF preliminary canter to the cobra
episode ! am about to relate. had
just finished my bath and was pulling
my banian over my head when huge
centipede lost his hold inside OF it and
rolled down my back. Ugh! 1t made
my flesh creep to look at the loath-
some, poisonous thing.
Another time I found CASTOR
skin Of some poisonous snake on the
edge OF my bed just outside of the
monjerie mosquito curtain), that had
been probably slipped of while I slept
"You will understand that fresh out
from home, as I was, all this sort of
thing crept into my dreams; sleeping
meant one long, continuous night
mare. The bungalow was the usual
style of things In Burmah, bamboo
and leaves. 1t was raised some seven
or eight feet from the ground on posts;
but this only seemed to tempt some
unwelcome guests to climb up and nest
in the leaves Of the matched roof.
During the dry weather they lived in
the ground in holes which mistaken
sort Of providence provided for them,
and when the big rains setin they were
drowned out and came to the bunga-
low as nice dry place to live In.
''One hot, sweltering night I was
la Wing In state halt asleep and half
heat stupor, when suddenly became
aware that dark, fat object, In which
cleaned two spots Of malignant light,
was moving up along my right leg
inst between 1t and the moujerie. l
could Just see 1t over my limb and the
blood in my veins simply froze with
horror as / realized that 1t must be
either a cobra or karaite. The body
OF the serpent was evidently In the
bed and the head elevated just enough
to watch my face. Aqueer constructive
sort OF feeling shot up and down my
scalp and the hair stood out straight,
| am sure.
"There are no words in which l csn
convey the slightest idea OF the fui'
measure of loathsome horror which
took possession Of me and turned me
sicl, with the intensity OF Its dreadful
ness when recognized that was shut
up In that curtain with, and complete
ly at the mercy of one Of those death
dealing fiends. l dared not move
muscle-to call out meant death, for
were he aroused, either by fear or an
ger he would deal ont death to the
nearest living object with the rapidity
OF lightning. Myhand was lying down
beside my thigh and already l could
feel his cold, Shiny body moving over
H. II my blood was frozen before thls
chilled the very marrow in my bones,
I could see very little, by the iight OF
the fiickering lamp which hung IN she
veranda opposite my door, beyond ina. a.
fat. swaying head, set like hena
Tow with those devilish flaming eyes
~ felt that could not stand II much
longer. should become a raving
maniac II something did not happen
coon. almost wished that ne "ouio
strike and end the dreadful suspense.
I knew that he would not voluntarily y
leave the bed all night, ana woulu .
most probably coil himself up on my my
chest and remain there. One year wv wv
wears, ten years, l lay thus win a4s aae :
brute drawing his interminable lenssn ,or
over my hands-yes, ten years. &c. 10.
q nid4T AnN NY