The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-03-09
DUEL WITH SNAKES IN INDIA
Rival HindOo Serpent Charmers In
Blood -CurdIing Scene.


BIOod-CurdIing Scene.
on the morrow (which Was the third
day there was long delay; the pro
logue was spun out and out Each OF
the masters was in "A very keen anxiety
rs TO the snake the other had been re-
serving for the great effort. At~last
Souter came 10 the end of his patience,
and babe them peremptorily play or
pay ThereupOn Anant Ram set small
cloth on the ground very gently, ana
called loudly to have the first go. The
Il ord OF Devils" did not stand upon
the order OF his going, agreed ON the
Instant and his two pupils turned up
a large basket In the middle OF the ring,
and shook out Of 1t about nine Feet or
that poisonous constructor, the great
hamadryad, or King cobra. 1t Is the
only snake In India that attacks or It
self at all times. Its herceness and
courage are only eqnaled by the bright
ness OF its colorings and the strength
Of Its coils. 1t can poison as mortally
and strangle as surely as any snake III
the world. The Egyptian cerastes at
tacks and bites; the fer-de-lanee of st.
Lucia drops from the tree, vicious and
fatal, on the horseman. But they are
not constructors. The great hamadryad
rears its green length of active, two
fold, feroclous death In unparalleled
dreadfulness.
Anant Ram threw up his arms over
his head as the double horror rushed
kissing at him; In a breath Its coils
were around him. its fangs tearing his
arms. He flung himself down at the
pain; and, put about by this sudden
act, the snake stopped biting moment
to tighten its coils. Then 1t reared a
quarter of its body above his head, and
as quickly as 1t could bead and strike
bit him horribly In the neck under the
left ear On the instant 1t jerked out
its fangs with shrill whistle, and fell
all slack about him; he had bitten clean
through its back, and was tearing Its
body asunder with frenzled hands. He
rose bleeding. dusty, wild-eyed, and
chastity; staggered to the cloth that hid
his snake and yelled: "Quick! TO the
trial. All three OF you! Quick!'
The Lord OF Devils and his pupils
hustled round him; he whipped away
the cloth, and barred to their eyes lit
tie, crooked, gray-brown stick. They
stared ut 1t, they stared at one another,
and slowly knowledge came to them.
They knew how Anant Ram had con
quered the hamadryad that he had
won the devils TO fight for him. They
moved around the little stick, with out
stretched, twitching hands, their star
Ting eyes glued TO it, striving to beat
down their dread, to force themselves
to touch 1t, TO awake 1t to malignant
life. Slowly their dread mastered them;
their faces grew gray and then green;
one man gave back a step, then anoth-
er; one by one they tore away their
eyes from the dormant horror; glared
at one another In the agony OF utter
fear; turned with one accord, and fed
fled as men flee with the fear OF
death at their backs. aud the devils Of
the lone night and the waste on their
heels. But Anant Ram lay, needless Of
the screaming JOY of the victorious
Panjab, sucking the blood Of the dead
hanadryad for dear life, while his pu-
pills, In fevered haste. piled him with
remedy on remedy. In the confusion
Souter secured yet more material to
make surer his discoveries, and to rem
der this mystery of the East working
medicine against the terror of the ser
pent. Anant Ram came out of 1t alive,
and rich; but he swears that in win
ming his great fight he lost the secret
of ages. He breads Souter as he breads
nothing else; and to him alone Will he
reveal the mysteries of his craft.-Pall
Mall Magazine.