The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-24
COBRA STORIES.
THRILLING INCIDENTS WHICH At.
TEND LIFE IN INDIA.

A Soldiers Mistake Which Came Near Re-
sulting in an Awful Tragedy-How .
Hooded Snake saved the Life Of Daring
Onicer In a Native Regiment.
1T was three years after the close Of
the Indian mutiny that I came near
losing the members of my mess in
frightful way" said John Balm, who
served in the British cavalry in India
until thirty-odd years ago. my compa-
ny had been ordered into the Deshwur
district, $50 miles north Of Cawnpore.
to break up the Dacoits, who had be-
come very troublesome there. was
one Of detail sent under command Of
lieutenant, against band Of these
robbers who had made stand in a
little Jungle village. We arrived there
In the night, stormed their intrench-
ments by moonlight, killed or captured
round dozen Of the dacoits, and
chased the rest into the Jungle. Some
Of us followed them on foot among the
reeds and bushes, but soon got tired
Of this useless business and were quite
willing to stop and turn back at the
sound Of the recall. Our hospital stew
ard, native, and good one, was by
my side. My canteen had been emp
tied on the march, and I was parched
with the thirst that follows fighting.
Something among the bushes, glisten-
Ing on the ground like water, caught
my eye. ,.
"'It's stagnant pool left by the
rains, but it'll serve to wet my throat
l said, and was for throwing myself
down on my very belly to drink from
1t. But the steward pulled me back.
MAY, sahib, stay! Lend me your
sword for moment he said.
HE took. the sword and lightly
stirred the pool with It's point. From
the middle Of the pool a cobra's hood
ed head arose, and there came the
sound Of its hateful hiss With q
sweep of the sword the steward cut the
reptiles head of, and at once what
had seemed to me water pool became
the writhing coils Of a serpent that had
been fully six feet in length.
THAT was your pool, sahib,' the
steward gravely said. 1t is well that
you paused before attempting to drink
from It,
1.-THE white belly and greenish back
of the cobra, lying coiled in the moon
beams, had looked exactly like a wa
ter pool. But for the stewards warn
ing should have thrust my face down
into that hideous coil.
There was a cage I knew in which
a cobra saved a British army officers
life-not intending in the least to do
30, Of course. The officer had gone
with a detachment to a district in
northern India to bring to order one OF
the hill tribes that had been making
and had killed a civil officer or
two. His quarters were at the bunga-
low Of the magistrate of the district.
He had got things Quieted down among
the tribesmen, and everything safe, to
all appearances, and was preparing to
take things easy, when one night,
sleeping at the bungalow, he heard a
cobra moving about In his chamber. A
cobra looking about for prey, or when
ready to fight rears its head and about
one-third Of its body straight upward
from the ground, and as the bed on
which he lay was very low one, the
officer knew that II the cobra came to
It he was liable to get bitten. At any
movement he made the cobra would
hiss, showing that 1t was In an I'M
pleasant temper; and, to make things
worse, the officers night lamp had
gone out, SO that he could only Judge
If the snakes position by sound.
HE stood the strain as long as he
Gould and made up his mind that he
would at any rate get to place where
he snake could not reach HIM. A tall
lressng case stood against the wall,
lbout six feet from the head Of the
,ed. The officer reached out to a
hair, set it half way between the bed
nd the dressing case and then stepped
rom the bed to the chair, and from
he chair to the top of the dressing
ase. There he was safe from the CO.
ira. AS he perched on the dressing
ase in the dark thinking how ridicu-
Gus and uncomfortable his position
vas two hillmen stole in at the door,
ushed to the bedside and struck fierce
y with their tulwars the heap Of bed
lothing where the officer had lain, be-
ore they discovered that he was not
here. The snake set up loud hiss
ng, which seemed to convince the as
assins that the officer could not be In
be room, and they went away without
eeing him, passing the dressing case
OF step away. The cobra presently
rawled out Of the room through the
DOR they had left open, and the officer
AS able to get down from the dressing
ase and raise an alarm. The two hill
len he never caught, but he slept with
sentinel at his door during the rest
his stay in the district"