The Van Buren press., 1894-09-15
hair, which was black when went to

wy nehu strucR-Wlthout warning
ana with such devilish rapidity that I
saw nothing only felt the sharp, lance.
like thrust in my thigh. With rush
my blood, which had been standing
still in my veins, ! think went tearing
through my body again, and before
my Mortified cry had ceased to ring
through the bungalow, was standing
on the floor clear of the wrecked
mouJerle. As sprang from the bed
when he struck felt his body 20
hurtling over my head up against the
pillow as threw up the arm he had
been lying on.
"Brown-'Bangle Brown as he was
called then, because he used to wear a
silver bangle on his left wrist that
some girl had given him-was calling
from the next room Who is there?
VINO Is there" and the whole bungalow
was soon In turmoil. Cold drops of
perspiration rolled down my forehead,
and my face was like the face of
dead man, Brown said, when | went
into his room where he had light.
Have YOU seen Il ghost?" he asked.
Worse than that replied. I
have been bitten by COBRA
Nonsense, man. he calculated,
you have been dreaming but his face
was ashy pale now, too.
Here are the marks of his fangs,'
said, as barred my thigh; and there,
sure enough, were too tiny punctures
and drop of blood oozinR from one.
There could be no doubt about 1t
now-his light had swept away the
last vestige of hope. All that remained
to do was to make a futile effort to
stay the deadly poison. Already
could feel a peculiar twitching sensa-
tion where the lines run from the nose
down past the corners OF the mouth,
and there was dull, Juggling sort
OF pain in my heart, feeling as
though the blood was being forced
through it at an increased pressure.
My head was dizzy and my eyes hot
and blurred, and it was with the great
est difficulty that could keep my
mind from wandering. l could hardly
articulate word, and when l did
manage to speak l would say what |
did not mean-ustng the wrong word
1t was evident that the poison was be-
ginning to paralyze my brain, and al
ready felt an almost unconquerable
desire to lie down and go to sleep.
.'I}y this time Brown and the others
were thoroughly awake to the serious
ness of the case, and had started in to
do all in their power to save me.
Brown was a sort Of amateur surgeon,
and always carried a small apothecary
establishment with him. I saw him
whip out lance and look at me in q
questioning way. nodded, and in an
instant he had the piece surrounding
the bite out and his lips applied to the
gaping wound.
Here, gentlemen, Is the scar" and
Bings displayed an ugly looking cica-
trice that bore unmistakable testimo-
ny to the heroic course of treatment
Brown had adopted.
"Yonng Balston brought me a peg,
in desperation, that would have made
one of those Bengalie Baboos who pun
ish bottle of bazaar brandy, ut a
single sitting, yell with anguish. He
admitted to me afterward that Baloo,
the bearer, had told him to give me .
strong dose of red pepper and whisky,
for 1t had cured brother of his once.
He had tasted it himself and it was
simply liquid fire diluted with whisky,
but to me it was only as water.
"Giving me dose Of permanganate
of potassium, Brown placed me In the
hands OF two Sepoy orderlies, with
strict orders to keep me going, swear
ing that he would shoot the first man
that let me stop-for to rest for an in
stant meant certain death.
"'Now, lads, let's kill the devil he
said, when he had done all he could to
save me; we shall find him coiled up
in the bed waiting for another victim.
cat these words sudden fury took
possession of me and said: Let me
be in at the death-I will kill him be.
fore die myself
"Grabbing the lamp and stout stick
I rushed into my room, followed rather
cautiously by the others. l flashed
the light on the bed, holding the stick
poised aloft for a quick, strong blow,
but there was no object there to vent
my fury upon. Then ! remembered
that had thrown him up over my
head when l jumped from the bed.
Telling Brown to throw the pillow
over with a quick movement, held
the lamp in my left hand and stood
ready to give his cobraship his quietus
with powerful blow.
"Quick as a flash the pillow was
ierked to the other end Of the bed and
there was rush of a dark brown body,
with the devilish eyes cleaning like
two baleful sparks. The stick dropped
from my nerveless grasp and tumbled
to the floor in heap. 1t was only a
rat!
"Thc perspiration broke out all over
nv body and I was as limp as a rag.
The nerves, strung up to the tension
that they had been, suddenly gave
way and could only sob out, hysteri'
caliv: Let him go-don't kill him,
pleased
II could hear Browns deep-drawn
THANK Godr and in the general sense
Of relief the rat was allowed to escape.
THAT is how it feels to be bitten by
a cobra" concluded Bings, "as near as
7 can describe it."-Detroit Free Press
Peculiar Qualifications.
Great Editor-I advertised for pri'