Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-22
STORIES OF SNAKES
EVEN INDIA HAS THIS VARIETY
or ANECDOTES.
Reptiles Common In That Part Of Asia,
Though Europeans May Not
See Them.
From the Pan Man Gazette.

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
Despite the fact that snakes are so COM
mon In India, Europeans do not see much
of them unless their duties call them out
into the wilder districts. Like most wild
things, they are desperately anxious to
avoid human beings. and with good rea-
son, since white man always kills a
snake at sight. And SO, after twenty years
passed in India. an Englishman may re-
call the discovery, on two or three occa-
sions, of snake within his house, into
which it has crept for shelter from the
rain; he has, perhaps, dozen times come
across one eoiled up beside pathway and
there his experience of them ends. Yet he
must constantly have been close to them;
family Of cobras, perhaps has inhab-
tied hts compound, unknown to him; and
there may have been snakes In the very
thatch of his bungalow.
The official reports for a recent year gave
the number OF deaths from snake bite
throughout India as 23OO0 No doubt in
the remoter districts natives often report
the deaths Of their relatives as having been
due to snake bite In order to avoid the
troublesome inquiries which they detest.
and, all evidence having been carefully de-
stroyed, 1t Is impossible to arrive at the
truth. Occasionally, too, q reported death
from this cause is in reality a case Of muir
der. But after making all deductions, the
number OF persons killed every year by
snakes is enormous. This is caused partly
by the fanatical dislike which the ordinary
native has for killing. or even interfering
with, any wild creature, and partly by the
common habit Of going about with feet and
legs bare. ] have myself seen q. native
soldier walk boldly Into patch of grass Ia
my compound to drive out cobra which
had been seen to glide Into 1t. The fact
that his legs were bare to the knee did
not cause him the slightest hesitation. For
tunately, he did not meet the snake
Assassination.
1t is commonly reported, though with
what truth I do not know, that natives
sometimes adopt particularly diabolical
and ingenious method of getting rid of an
enemy in such wise that the death shall
be correctly attributed to snake bite A
small cobra, or a kaiait-a snake quite as
venomous-is caught uninjured, and piece
of string Is fastened to its tail. The string
is then run through the hollow stem of
bamboo just large enough to contain the
body of the snake, and by it the creature
is dragged, tail first. inside the cane. Great
care is taken not to injure the reptile in
any way
Armed with this abominable weapon, the
murderer waits for a suitable opportunity
for using 1t. Nothing is easier than to
approach the hut of his intended victim
when he Is asleep, and creeping through
the open doorway to bring the end of the
bamboo into contact with some part of his
body. The snake, enraged and terrified by |
the treatment which it has received bites
as soon as its head touches the man. ST |
the victim is sleeping soundly, he is prob
ably not even awakened by the slight pune
ture of the cobras needle-like fangs. He |
passes insensibly into death. The next |
day his body Is discovered, with all the UNI
mistakable symptoms Of snake poisoning;
and save through an accident 1t Is not even
suspected that crime has been committed |
The murderer. having liberated the snake |
and destroyed the bamboo, is perfectly |
safe. Even If suspicion falls upon him 1t |
Is impossible to prove his guilt.
A Cobra Story.
Snake stories, more or less incredible,
abound. The following, which was told to |
me on such authority that am forced to |
believe 1t, is a fair specimen: A cobra was |
discovered in the compound or garden sur
rounding an officers bungalow and the en-
tire male portion of the household turned |
out to destroy it. The snake was driven |
from one hiding place to another, and at
last 1t took refuge in narrow culvert. All |
sorts Of expedients were tried to drive 1t
out. Shots were fired through the pipe,
and bundles Of burning grass were thrust |
into 1t, without effect. Finally, the culvert |
was dug up and the snake was found and |
killed.
IL was d large ana handsome one, ana |
therefore the skin was taken off and hung
upon nail driven into the wall of the |
veranda outside the bungalow The next |
morning the owner of the house was as
tonished by finding on the ground beneath |
1t a second cobra skin!
The natives one and all declared that the |
mate Of the dead snake had come along
during the night and shed its skin there |
through grief at Its loss. This explanation |
being considered incredible, 1t was supposed |
that some one had INDUCED in a rather
pointless practical joke, though the circum-
stances of the case made 1t difficult to see /
how this could have been possible But
whatever might be the true explanation |
there were the two skins.
Another story, which, however is not |
really snake story at all, relates that |
lady awoke one morning. and looking |
round the room, was Mortified at seeing a |
snake coiled upon the back of a chair She
was newly from England and had lived in |
dread Of some such incident, and her ter |
ror was so extreme that for a time she lay |
motionless in the bed, scarcely daring to
breathe. But presently she plucked up a |
little spirit and looked round for some way |
Of escape Unfortunately there was only
one door, and the chair stood close beside |
1t; and not for all the wealth of the Indies |
would she have attempted to run the |
gantlet.
In this predicament she could do nothing
but cry out for help. Soon she heard some
one coming, and almost tainted with ter
ror when her husband entered and, seeing
nothing wrong. picked up the chair which |
stood In his way. She was with difficulty
brought back from the verge of MYSTERIES
when the supposed snake was shown to |
her, and proved to be nothing more danger |
Gus than one of her stockings carelessly |
thrown over the back Of the chair
Locating the Bullet.