Evening star., 1901-02-09

across, grasp a tree on the other side with
his teeth. and. swinging his body like
hammock back and forth throw all the
water out upon the land. Then, you see, he
ate the fish
Ramia watched my face narrowly when
he had finished and, seeing that L believed,
told me a second Ooriah tale. Another
snake preferred deer and game of sorts.
He bent down trees and vines and made
two converging Stockade-like fences rum
ming far out into the jungle Then he went
out and beat up the surrounding country
When he had got everything on the run ne
drove them into his funnel-like corral and
caught them down at the small end. L
| tried to believe this also for Ramas sake,
but ne told more
| There were also close calls in that place.
We were sitting on the veranda one even
| ing, and, like men who are bottled up to-
gether, speedily got into a violent argu-
| ment over something that had happened
| in America. Three Of us were In pyjamaS
\ the usual evening dress, while Townsend,
| who had just come down from Akyae, had
only taken his coat off, and was wearing a
shirt with starched cuffs. This was a trtv-
| ial thing, and rather felt the innovation,
but it had much to do with the subsequent
| events.
The argument had reached that point at
which something had got to be done. A
| fight out of the question; 1t was too
hot for violent exercise.
Look here, you fellows said Townsend,
Il can prove that you're all wrong
Then he did what no other man in thatbun-
galow ever did-went into his room withouta
light and commenced fumbling about on the
| table for paper. We heard sharp cry
| half anger, half fear. and the next instant
/ he darted out on the yeranda. I've been
struck on the arm by SNAKE he gasped.
| Bell reached down the swinging lantern
and we explored for the trail of the SER
| pent.
Here, about the cuff" said Townsend.
| And there. right enough, on the starch
| stiffened cuff half an inch from his wrist,
were two little pin-like pricks. with
greenish-yellow circling them. where the
poison had dried into the linen. That was
| all. There was no mark on the arm-not
| scratch. We went in and interviewed the
snake with light and couple of sticks.
| He was lying coiled UP small inclined
| hand mirror which stood on the table. AS
| Townsend reached for the paper the snake
had struck. 1t was a karait most feared
| of all snakes by the natives They saw
| that If a man looks steadily for a long time
into the eye of a KARAT he will go stark,
| staring mad The eye is small, red and per-
| fectly devoid of expression.
| Later on my companions went to other
| parts.
Each evening 1 killed an hour or so of
| the monotony by walking up and down the
path In front of the bungalow. A big cat
| was my usual companion. His method of
| introducing himself to my notice was gem
orally abrupt. He would lie in wait, and
| as came along, spring out upon me-
| alishting against one of my legs. At other
| times he would lie on his back in the path
| and claw at my feet as l passed.
one evening just after turning into the
path from the bungalow 1 felt something
| soft and yielding against my foot Think
ing it was Billy" gave the mass a gen
| tie push. AS l shifted the something I
saw twisting gleam of white. not at all
| like the soft gray of Bily's fur. OF course
I L knew what that meant. Jumping back
| brought down my walking stick on the
| twisting thing. and yelled for a light The
| servants came running from the cook house
, with lantern and l saw that 1 had laid
| out a most villainous daboia. One touch
| from the cat-like fangs on my cotton-hosed
instep and within an hour l would have
| been dead.
One of our party had occasion to visit a
! Mr.. Savage, a half-caste land owner on the
| other side of the island. He went in a
boat. and while the coolies were bringing
| up his traps went up to the bungalow He
was sitting In big chair ON the veranda,
| taking to Savage, when he felt something
drop from the leaf-roof on his shoulder
Leisurely he started to rise to see what
had fallen. when the other man cried out
| For Gods sake don't move-keep perfect
ly still!' Dunlop knew what that meant
Steathily the old man took a Burmese
dab Sword from the wall. and, cat-like,
| crept toward the white man with the thing
on his shoulder. Within striking distance
he paused, and raised the dah high in air
TO cut the thing in two with one swift
downward stroke. Then his nerve. ratified
| and tugged at for sixty years until it was
weak. failed him, and the sword clattered
from his numbed fingers to the floor.
my God! l can't do it," he whined. in
| a broken voice; and reeled back against the
wall. where he stood staring with weak
| eyes at the sahib and his burden.
Dunlop neitheg moved nor spoke; his only
safety lay In keeping perfectly still-mo-
tiGnless. 1t might be minutes. or a thou
| sand years: they would have to wait till
| the boatmen came. What would happen
| then he could not say. He could feel the
cltnging. pulling thing on his right shoul-
L There W. a N nn6uIafiDp hat
told him the head Of the snake was sway
|, ing back and forth just above his neck.
Then the song Of the Madrassi boatmen
| as they came swinging along with his lug
gage broke upon his ear. Those gin-thick-
| ened voices, caroling the coarse refrain to
| the time of the measured trot, were angel
voices. What would the muddle-brained
j coolies do, he wondered. II Emir Ally. his
| trusted servant, saw the thing 1t might be
we'll: he had nerve and judgment even close
| to that Of a sahib.
Emir Ally was In the lead. When he
| came to the steps Savage jerked out an ex-
| pressfon that called hfs attention To the