Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-03
THE BROWN pEAIH-
Startling Experience OF = Gentleman II
BurmAh-

One day he came to me and asked me
to go over to some property he had on
neighboring island He had been
having trouble about boundaries and
wanted me to give him an unbiased
opinion We started in sailboat about
IL o'clock and got to his place
about 4. He and I got out of the
boat and went up to a small bungalow
he had built there These jungle
bungalows are built on posts about six
to ten feet from the ground and consist
of simply the floor, the roof and some
times walls run up six or seven feet
There is no ceiling and nothing over
head but the roof, which is made of
bamboo and matched with leaves from
the toddy plant
We were sitting on the veranda, the
roof OF which was not more than five
or six feet from our heads Mordai
was talking to me about the boundary,
and had become quite interested in
some maps he had in his lap While
engaged in examining them 1 felt
something fall and strike my shoulder.
I rose quite slowly, still talking to
Mordai, and turned about to see what
was in my chair, thinking that per-
haps piece of bamboo had been blown
back was toward Mordai and 1 was
struck motionless by a hoarse For
Gods sake, don't move, Sahibr' From
the horror in his voice I knew as well
as if could see it that a cobra, or a
khorite, equally deadly and more nu-
merous in that part, was on my shout
der. I stood perfectly motionless,
for 1 knew that the snake, being
aroused now, would strike if he felt
the least movement Cold perspira-
ton stood out on my forehead, and L
set my teeth hard and waited 1t was
toss-up, 1 knew; either deliverance,
and that speedily, or the sharp, sting
ing punctures in my neck or head, and
then-death. Every minute seemed
an age. Ny suspense was the
more horrible because 1 could
not see my enemy, and
so could not tell the moment he would
strike. Probably not a minute elapsed
from the time I stood up until 1 saw
Mordai approaching me from in front,
but it seemed to me 4 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 strong 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 trem-
| bled 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 chair.
He was an old man and his nerve had
| tTixan Ia Aara1 v-iSl< fha
| suit of his blow should he fail to cut
down the, serpent When the sword
| fell could feel a slight vibration on
my shoulder, and closed my eyes, ex-
pecting to feel the cold pat and the
| sharp singing thrust of the death
dealing fangs- 1 stood perfectly mo-
tionless, but my mind worked with the
| rapidity of lightning. l felt almost
| grateful that Mordai had not struck,
| for 1 could see that his nerves were
SO unstrung that he would in all prob
ability 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 quite still until they
| arrived Time will never efface the
memory of that death wait from my
mind. In the chair, shriveled and
CHASTITY, his hollow, half-glazed eyes
staring at me with the helpless, fasci-
mated gaze of a bird half in the tolls of
a serpent, huddled Mordai His white,
bloodless lips moved spasmodically, as
over and over he repeated in a dread
whisper: 'Godi the brown death! -
1 then knew it was khorite. Clinging
| to my shoulder was a snake ten times
more malignant and merci1ess than a
| cobra, and just as deadly-'The Brown
- 81 ~
which it has been said, that if a man
were to gaze for any length of time in
| to its eye he would become insane. I'm
like all other creatures it has no pupil
to its eye-nothing but brown mass
of malignity.
1 do not know how long it was, but
it seemed an eternity of time that
stood thus At last the swinging Mad
rassi song of the boa tmen carrying the
stuff broke on my ears like a song OF
| deliverance. Dull and monotonous il
had seemed to me often enough, but
now it sounded like the sweetest music
ever caroled. Their singing seemed tc
arouse Mordai from his tranceliks
stupor, and staggering out he graspe6
my faithful servant Emir-Alli, by the
shoulder, and with his lean, bony fin
ger pointed toward me- No need O
explanation for Emir-Alii- My hear
gave a tbrob of joy when saw his sup
pie, careless form straighten up and
his black eyes glisten with the light
had seen in them before in time o
deadly peril Twice before had W.
fronted death together and his nerve
had been steel and his heart had no
faltered- Even now 1 see him as h
stood Just outside the veranda, one o
the few natives a white man had trust
ed, and met trust for trust and loyalt!
ever.
Describing his gaudy jacket, anC
gathering up his dote tight about hi
hips. SO that his sinewy limbs gleame'
like those of a statue, he set hi
square white teeth, and Missed through
them an invocation to Allah Grasp
ing the dab in his powerful hand
he stole as silently and as swiftly to
ward me as the venomous creature Oh
my back might have done had he beel
making the attack Poised aloft wa
the glittering steel, for well he knew
the snake would keep his eye on tn
cleaning blade, and there would be N
movement to disturb him till the down