The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-05-02


India DO Nat Fear the Cobra.
uu tie very first morning. ~ tiic
tourist Hops down in iiis long armchair
ou. say. the elevated ,crnudr of ihc
E-plduudr hotel bombay. Dee will ind
the inevitable iuuslrr appealing to him
with upunud ,yr~. accompanied hy his
bag hi- basket uui the other purapncr
MALTA or his craft mud. though the man
go growing trlcL may hr more mystic
riuu~. the ught between tlc cobra aud
fhr muuguu~r will Co., more interesting
The mhum mutual hatred between
these creatures must hc supposed to
serve -uwr purpose Goo the wise cconu.
my OF nature and y"t would look very
strange did we mot suov that similar
Htrrsiou~ rSi>t between utlirr more
familiar cryJturc-. aud Tor some rca.
son. not always apparent. Irrespective
~ the danger uf 10, why duc~ the mon
gp,>c attack the cohruf \ live moi.
goo-y is said newer Co touch e dead
cobra in the way uf fupd. and the bris-
tly carcass ~ q muuuursr Is probably
too tough Tor even the ca,Iciuus digcs-
tion n his natural adversary We can
only account for ". therefore ou the
same principle that the best hrel game
dug- will not touch the flesh Of the
quarry that they ARE 80 fond of hunt.
mg
The active little muugOOso j. almost
always the aggrc,sor. for the cnmpnr-
atiycy awkward cobra unless hc got
him asleep would probably never think
of attacking Del, NOR" ulmhlc OPPONENT.
nud 10 Is generally The mnugoose that
II victor boz these encounters. Though
the cobra rcars his head. expands his
hupd umhrclln-likr a. the utmost and
his.". ,iciously. his dah- nt thc enemy
seem INSTRUCTED and aiml,-~. for the
wlly muugnu~" suddenly becomes dou.
blc his natural si2" hy M" erection Oi
his tough. hristly coat IN % way that
seems quite tu deceive even thc Wi.c
serpent ~ to what may hc bristlc> and
what not u b. only Just to say for
the cobra. though. that 10 his faug-
were uot extracted ur the poison glands
destroyed successful chance peck
would soon finish the muugnp~c iu spite
~ his activity.
The natural uu.mu~ity j. mo- doubt
greatly toned down zoo the specimens
pn,.c,,rd 10y the iugglor.. Familiarity
breed, tolerance. ir not contempt. ou
both slides. 500 thlt they must attack
one another with less fprp"ity than Boz
their natural wild condition aud must
often laugh BOO thrir sleeves when tho
farce b. over
I had the good or bad luck to come
across many cohra~ h"rr aud there. the
most or which killed. Indeed. there
is little tu fear from e cobra iu the
open " You de- nut attack him he h
not likely To- attack you unless hc takes
10 into his head thai you are going Ia
tread on the tail of his cont II is n
popular dcluSion that ruhra, after
rearing himself. can jump NJ the enc
my This he T. quite unable to do. for
the motion of the head j. along the are
~ circle ~ which the rndiu, extends
from tue head lo the part NJ the SER
pcnt touching the ground.
ON one occasion during IN" war Ia
upper Burma, when resting on "A small
tcut bed ~ an eighty pound service
tout, | saw u cobra walking Stralthlly
into my parlOr. as the spider would
say In tho fly. through the open door.
| SAY walking Advls~lly, because
serpcntS dn actually walk on the cn,l
~ their ribs instead ~ wrlggling along
r.or the fashion Of worms The pres.
un.u uf this snake naturally created
quite nasty feeling, with such mar
row compass 10 move about In. hut the
kc did not got out alive.
There are such Incredible stories In
ventSl about cobps IN lndin and 10
cxtravagani, too, that on" hC-itaicS "a
J rsention ones own more modest,
though truthful. experiences, az moi
quite thrilling enough ~ Lee placed on
| record
My own most creepy sensation was
at mn up country station IN ludln.
had newly arrived there from Burma
and was writing nj nighttime on one
| of the usual kinds of writing desks
| with drawers on each side and M
empty interval below and between. the
desk hr'ng ~ usual, placed against
| one ~ the walls of the room.
/ WAS dressed. moreover In thin, bot
| weather clothing aud therefore purilc
! umrly vulnerable Ia the bites OF
snakes My l,E- were In tue empty
| space beneath the ld aud IA the inter
val hrtwccu the drawers ON either
| side. l;ut what was u that | suddenly
nb,rrycl creeping round FROM the cuu
~ the table To- my right aud going into
thr hollow almost ln touch with my
| right fuutt II was a vile cobra.
could not Jump away on account of the
positlon ln which WaE placod.
! M once realized that 10 move In any
way would probably rouse the scrpcn
immediately 10 rear aud strike. \
any rate. whether q VAS 10y caln cal
culation or that was too pctrIiicd Will
horror To- move. 1 never did move