Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-13

Standing behind ny chair az tim. Joe
asked me in an sved voice Master not
afraid OF snake
NO" replied scornfully. 20 snake hurt
me" But then you see Joe bad also taken
70 the Jungle and had not seen my face
when was loaded up with the beastly
thing.
Cooke vas a man OF much guileless faith
and once when was away, a snake charmer
came along and persuaded him to loan him
the hsmsdryas for a few days he would
break them in and bring them back. Per
haPs he did break them in-we never knew.
The hamadryas is wonderfully like a bull
dos. He is pugnacious in the extreme-sl-
ways ready 70 hEht He is the most terrible
snake among all the ophidia be is big and
strong and quick and his venom is as fatal
as that Of the cobra di capello. But with
all this be seems to have the same tolerant
good nature toward those he feels have a
right over him that the bulldog possesses
The snake charmer finds him dociIe Here
is an authentic incident.
A friend OF mine living in Kyouk Phyou
had little boy about years old. who used
to play beneath the bungalow. He often
chartered about his playmate the snake.
but no attention was paid TO this. one day
the father saw the boy squatted on the sand
under the bungalow throwing pebbles and
little sticks at huge hamsdryAs. which
was gliding about. not offering 20 hurt the
little fellow. But when the man appeared
the cobra became enraged and attacked
him. causing him to beat hssty retreat.
He got his gun and shot the king cobra
dead
1t seemed that the hamAdryss had been
nesting in one Of the numerous rat holes
under the bungalow. and the boy had often
played with him. He declared there were
tuo OF the snakes there. eut u ! remember
right they never saw the other one.
The daboia russellii is q sluggish beast.
and yet possessed Of a devilish quickness.
You may step over him and he will lie
apparently asleep. touch him and he will
strike with the rspidity OF lightning and
the fatalness Of a Borgta. The danger from
the daboia and his brother in sin. the karait.
ls great. because Of their lethargic iniquity.
The cobra will get out OF the way II he
can; these two will not. / have often
brought my foot down on the neck OF a
dsboia as he lay in the sun and watched
the ugly. squirming head with its big fangs
like a cats claws.
When | vas stationed in the jungle back
OF Kyouk Phyou a friend wrote asking
for a good specimen Of the daboia. lie
wanted him put in bottle Of alcohol. with
out being smashed up any. In a short time
secured a snake from the roof OF the hen
house and carried him into my verandah.
I got a large pickle bottle and tried TO
shove him into the neck OF IL with a pair
of short fire tongs. The snake was in
tensely sluggish. and / grew a little care
less. Presently the tonEs slipped from his
neck. and as l reached TO catch him again
he struck.
His action was so quick that had nc
time to draw back the sixteenth Of an inch
but think his body must have come in
contact with the tongs as ] held them out
for somehow he Just failed 10 get home
I fancy that the nasal plates OF his srmored
head touched my thumb.
On one occasion the sister Of one OF our
party spent few days on the Borongos
She slept in a small bungalow beside ours
The second morning. Just after daylight. We
we're startled by piercing screams from the
little bungalow. and rushed out in time tc
see her come headlong from her quarters
in sleeping garments only. Il was the usua
| thing-a snake.
! When she first opened her eyes she dis
covered huge reptile six feet long coilet
on top OF the mosquito curtain Just ovei
her face. The warmth OF her breath hac
evidently attracted him to that spot II,
was promptly killed. .,.
The little tales that have told here o.
snakes ways are absolutely true. There ar,
others in connection with the natives. NOR,
horrible. dealing with the death OF the poo
creatures from snake bite
Emir Allys father was killed on tn.
Borongo by a huge python-crushed 4
death; and others Of the natives were killed
also. Yearly in India a matter OF 20.OO
die OF snake bite. never knew but on,
man TO recover-and his recovery was onl,
partial. I fancy.
DR.. Vincent Richards, who was a grea
authority on poisonous snakes in Calcutta
was showing a cobra to friend He va
holding the snake by the neck with hi
right hand and pointing al the fangs wit
the left. when the reptile suddenly struc
him on the end of the finger. He had al
the appliances at hand, and took promp
action. He recovered. and ! saw him
few weeks aftervard. But he died in abou
a year. and friends assured me that h
never fully worked of the poison.
Science stops when confronted with III
virus OF the eobrs-it can do nothing. Per
manganate OF potassium. ammonia. slcohC
and the other vain things which have bee
tried are all futile. There is no hope one
the poison enters the blood-and this
does with frightful rapidly. Even the mon
goose, the natural enemy OF the snak
must depend solely upon his agility. Quic
as the cobra is, the little creature who file
at his head SO fearlessly is quicker. an
crushes his skull with strong. sharp teetl
But let those terrible fsngs induct the Boz
} gian nuid into the blood OF the uongoos
and he, too. must pay the penalty of h
, temerity.
And the evil does not stop with the deaf
, OF the victim, for the poisoned blood
quite as viruleut, II injected. as the origins
death huid. IL is true that the immediat
smputation OF toe or finger may preveI
the induction Of the virus into the vasculs
system, but the action must take place
> once. The snake uses this awful weapc
J 10 capture his food victim-the poison pa
! slyzes the quarry. and the snake swallow
; II at his leisure. The poison has no efe
, upon the reptile, either taken into the ston
seh or Injected into its blood by anoth'
2 snake. The poisonous snakes do not X
: each other by means OF the poisons, b1
l an innocuous serpent dies quickly Wit
g struck by a poisonous one.