The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24
SAVED BY A KING COBRA.
The Snakes Kissing Warned the
Hunter of Dangerous Strangers.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
Hes am unpleasant fellow to fall in
with at any time the king cobra, also
known as the tree-climbing COBRA" said
Eugene Tyson, who for twenty years was
a British civil officer in India. "This snake
is twice as long as the ground cobra, with
a thickness OF body in proportion. His
markings are handsomer, and his DISPOSE
ton more pugnacious. The king cobra
does not await the attack, of a person who
comes near his retreat, but goes for him
determinedly, and being very fierce and
venomous there are few men who care to
stand their ground against him. For my
own part there are many dangerous beasts
and reptiles that l would choose to meet
rather than faee king cobra. Yet one of
these hateful serpents, thirty years ago,
was the means of saving my life.
1.-The time was ten years after the Indian
mutiny. when Thuggee and dacoity were
still practiced, though very secretly, in
several of the Indian provinces. Many Of
the Thugs and dacots released from pris-
on by the mutneers were still at large,
ferociously eager for human life and booty.
though working with unusual craft and
caution after their experience with the
British courts. While these wretches, as
a rule, did their killing and looting among
the wealthy natives, it was known that
they would not miss an easy chance to put
a European out of the way if he were
worth the robbing
ION the day speak of I was beneath
teak tree in the jungle at the foot of the
Ghekan Ghauts. in the province of Sude.
l was one of a hunting party which had
separated in the morning, and now at noon
| had sent my syce back TO the camp to
tell them there that ! had found good wa
ter in mullah, and that they SHOULD move
the tents up TO where I was that after
noon. Left alone In the jungle, l had
strolled to an open space on a hillside
leading up to the ghauts and seated my
self on the ground in the shade of the
teak tree. 1t would be three hours at
best before the syce could return; it was
too hot to beat about in the Jungle so
having eaten the luncheon that l had
brought, l stretched myself on my back
in a position where by opening my ewes I
could see my horse feeding on the slope
below me, and soon dropped off to sleep
1t was not a prudent thing to do alone
in a jungle, where a tiger or leonard
might give the sleeper an ugly awaken
ing, but had met with no disaster in five
years hunting, and was over-confident.
and besides, | relied on my horse to give
warning by his behavior of any danger
that might threaten from wild beasts.
Il had slept perhaps half hour, when
l was Weakened by a sound that | recog-
nized with dread-the angry hiss of a CO.
bra close at hand. Without moving, I
opened my eyes. 1t was an immense king
cobra that had hissed and from his coil
between me and the tree he had on the
instant in which 1 beheld him struck his
.tangs deep into the neck of a turbaned
native who. crouching with tuIwar in
hand, had started toward me from the
other side of the tree trunk
Behind this native was a second one
holding with both hands a strong silken
cord. With the snake hanging bv the
fangs to his neck the foremost native
staggered to his feet, struck out wildly
with his tulwar, dropped the weapon to
tear the snake from his neck with his
hands, then, with his dark face sooty pale
and CHASTITY with fear, turned and ran af-
ter his companion, who mad fed. l knew
by the looks of the men that they were
criminals, and the manner of their com
ing upon me was proof sufficient of their
intentions. / had at the first sight of the
men grasped my rifle and jumped to my
feet. / stepped TO one side, safely away
from the snake, and sent two bullets
after the foremost native. The second bull
lCl biOhe MS leS DelOW the knee ana he
fell. The other man, who had been struck
by the snake, tumbled a second later and
lay struggling, unable to rise
The snake was wrthing in two pieces
his body having been cut entirely through.
third of the way back from the head.
by blow of the tulwar The part, with
the head its hood full spread, was snap
ping Viciously now in the direction In
which l stood. / ended the life of that
part of the snake with a long stick that
CHANGED to lie at hand, and then, having
reloaded my rifle, went to where the
wounded native was trying to creep away
through the underground. He surrender
ed and at my command crawled back to
the tree. The native whom the cobra had
struck was dying as we passed him, and
he was dead when my friends came to
me In the course of an hour after The
great quantity of poison from so large a
snake, sent into so vital a point as the
neck, had killed him almost as suddenly
as dose of prussic acid would have
done.
My prisoner and the dead native, as 1