The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-09
Auaexaax yattMigtueeF
A Mortal Duel.

to do anything else-wheyi, all at
once, I saw a little sharp. nosed,
bright-eyed creature covered with
smooth hair, like sort Of & cross be-
tween bandicoot rat and squirrel,
come creeping along the floor.
I threw it bit of banana and at
first it seemed startled and made as if
it would run away, but presently it
turned back again and snapped up the
fruit, which it seemed to approve Of
highly. I gave it another bit and
then d piece Of biscuit. and by degrees
it began to get more familiar and ap-
peared quite inclined to make friends:
But just then one Of my men came
running across the courtyard and the
sound Of his footsteps scared it away.
The next day, however, it came
back again, and by this time it seemed
to have quite got over its shyness and
took readily enough whatever I gave
it. After we had been on visiting
terms for two or three days, '"Tom-
my" az I had named my four-footed
chum, got to be SO friendly that he
would climb upon my shamm6ck Or
chair and let ME strokesAim and hold
him in my hand, just asst he'd been a
kitten. I got to be quite fond af: him
at.last. =. !:
Just about that time I managed
somehow or other to catch a Low fever,
which, though it wasn't, what you'd
call dangerous, left me as:weaksas wa
ter. In fact, for three 81 four days |
couldn't even raise myself: in bed
without help.
Well, one day-it'll be long enough
before + forget It'll had sent away
the native boy. who used to sit beside
me, telling him was going to have a
nap, It was the very hottest time Of
the day and every one was either
smoking, lounging or fast asleep, and
it WASH { long before Ifell asleep, too.
How long 1 slept I have no idea, but
when / awoke it was still so hot and l
was so drowsy, that I was going to
doze off again, when I caught sight Of
something that woke me Iupsin good
Creeping intosthe room from The ve-
randa, coil after coil, was huge
r'hooded COBRA, the deadliest snake
in all India, more than seven feet long
and as thick as mans arm. It was
evidently meaning to attack me; and
there I lay, too weak to lift my hand, /,
all alone, and with nosone anywhere
thinahearing. Ss
For 4. moment Z wass fairly dumb
with horror; and then, although |
knew it was no use, i instinctively
called for help; but my voice was so
weaksthat:it couldn't 7 even have been
heard In the next room.
On came, the snake, rearing up its
horrid spotted heal angrily, and blow
iIg ont its hood, asit does when it
means mischief. It had already got
to the foot Of the bed, and was just
lpteparing to crawl up, when I heard q
skirri iof tiny feet across the floor, and
i saw my squirrel-rat friend, little
Tommy.
The brave little fellow never hesi-
tated for d moment, but went:risht at
the cobra like q tiger, and gave it a
bite that drew blood like the cut of 9
knife. @a,s
For moment the snake drew back,
and quiver went all through it,
which showed that it was hard hit; but
it pulled itself together at once, threw
back its head viciously and struck at
poor Tommy with alls=its force. ,sBut
Tommy lodged the strike cleyer'.v,
and fastening On the cobra tooth a.
nail, gave him second bite worse
than the first, wounding him SO Sc
iyerely that he was evidently weaken
ed, and, began to, show signs, Of sgiying
From the sbed rhers IslsyI could
see the whole Battle quite plaihly ;
and you may think how trying it was
for me to have to lie there helpless
while duel was being fought out
upon which. my life depended.
But it didn't take me long to find
out how the fight was: going to end,
for the cobra had the worst Of it from
the very beginning. Do what he
might, let him try as hard as. he
pleased to strike.his enemy or to. coil
around him, the snake might as well
have, tried TO Hurt D shad5w. Brave
littls Tommy escaped him egerystime,
and rapaid each, new attack with {
fresh bite, making old scaly-back
twist and wriggle like speared eel.
At last the cobra, in its Rrithing
and Topping about. knoeEed over a
small table with lot 0fSglasses Oh it,
which came down With a crash that
might have woke up country police
man ON duty. The next moment
there was a shout, % seurry outside,
and my chnm, Harry Templeton,
came bursting headlong into Tho room,
just as the valiant Tommy got hold of
the snake by the head and fairly bit
its head Of.
s'Hello p cried Harry; "what on
earth has been going on here I? Why,
my poor old fellow to think of your
being left to face that horrid brute all
alone, and you not able % Stir, too
If I'd only known I would have been
in to Help you like shot. Well,
thank God it's alright now. But
where on earth did you pick up that
mangoose 2"
"What sort of goose do you call
him 2" asked I, in surprise. 81 neve,
knew before that goose had four
feet r.
"Pooh r said Harry s'you're not
going to pretend that you don't know
yet what mangoose is Why, man,
they're the greatest serpent killers
alive; and if it hadn't been for that
one you'd have been as dead as dooE
nail by this time. I only wish we had
dozen more of 'em here in the can
tonment to clear off these confounded
snakes II
Thus it was that I found out that
my little friend Tommy was speci.
men of the snake-killing mangoose Of
India, and that my friendship with
him had actually saved my life. You
may be sure that I made a greater pet
of him than ever after that.-Harpers 5
Young People.