Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1902-01-24
NERVE.
Tha Precious Possession that Saved
the Sahib's Life


the Sahib's Life.
Halfway between Calcutta and Ran.
COON, in the Bay of Bengal, lie the Bo-
rongo Islands, which are infested with
snakes. They range in size from the
giant python to the deadly KARAT, and
the residents of the islands have many
thrilling experiences. One such is de.
scribed by w. A. Fraser in the Cana.
dian Magazine.
A member of Mr.. Fraser's party.
named Dunlop, had occasion to visit
Mr.. Savage, a half-caste landowner on
the other side Of the island. He Went
in a boat, and while the coolies Were
bringing in his traps, went up to the
bungalow.
He was sitting in big chair on the
veranda, talking to Savage, when he
felt something drop from the leaf roof
to his shoulder. He started leisurely
to rise to see what had fallen when his
companion cried out:
Don't move! Keep perfectly stillp
Dunlop knew what that meant, and
he ODeyeu. ~ luii- SlONh WI" lay
across his shoulders
Savage stealthily took Burmese
sword from the wall, and, catlike, erept
toward Dunlop. When he was within
striking distance he paused, and raised
the weapon high in the air to cut the
thing in two with one swift downward
| stroke.
But that one little pause gave him
opportunity not only to see what must
be done, but to reflect upon 1T. The
snake lay in such position that little
or none of its length projected beyond
the line of Dunlop's shoulder. The one
blow, then, which would be effective
must be so surely struck as to sever
the head of the snake entirely from Its
body, and yet so nicely gagged In force
as not to wound the shoulder on which
the serpent lay. Too little force might
only wound the cobra, leaving him still
vitality enough to strike; too much
would surely cripple Dunlop.
All this passed through Savage's
mind in an instant as he held the weap-
| OIL DOlSeu- it'll LID htlNOy laltlCu anu
tugged at for sixty years until it was
weak, failed him, and the sword clat
tered from his fingers to the floor.
81 can't do 1t! l can't do itp' 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 neither moved nor spoke his
only safety lay in keeping perfectly still
-motionless. 1t might be minutes or a
thousand years; they would have to
wait till the boatmen came. What
would happen then he could not say
He could feel the clinging, pulling thing
on his shoulder. There was an undu
lating pressure that told him the head
of the snake was -swaying back and
forth Just above his neck.
Then the song Of the Madras boat
men, as they came swinging along with
his luggage, broke upon his ear. Those
coarse voices, caroling in time with the
measured trot, were angel voices. But
Dunlop fell to wondering what the
brain-muddled coolies would do. If
Emir ALI his trusted servant, saw the
thing, it might be WE'LL he had nerve
and judgment, even close to that Of
sahib.
Emir Ali was in the lead. When he
came to the steps, Savage jerked out an
expression that called his attention to
the tableau. Gathering his loonghee
tight about his loins Emir Ali slipped
along the veranda like shadow, grasp.
ed the fallen sword, and posing bis
black, 1.-THE body for swift, strong
stroke, brought the sword through the
air with a swishing cut that laid the
cobra in two neat pieces almost at Dun
lops feet.