Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-05-31
COBRA AND MOjNGOOsE

COBRA AND MONGOOSE
a ptAELY HATRED EXISTS BETWEEN
THESE CREATURES.
siAc Active Little Qundrubed Is Al
i::cst Always the Asgrcssor aud IL
Ce.:era.ly the victor-Europc::ns Ia
l::G!a DO Rot Fear the Cobra.
On the very first morning, as the
Tourist fiops down in his long armchair
OH, gay, the elevated veranua of the
Espianade hotel, Bombay, he will find
the Inevitable juggglcr appealing TO him
with Ipliftcd eyes, accompanied by his
ba.:, Iii; basket and the other parapner-
MALTA OF his craft, and, though the man
so growing trick may be more mystic
rious, the fight between the cobra and
Tx laongcose will be more Interesting.
Ihe Unborn mutual hatred between
serve some purpose in the wise ccono-
my OF nature, and yet would look very
strange did we not know that similar
avcYsons exist between other more
familiar creatures, and for some real
'on.; not always apparent. Irrespective
II the t.;lnger of 1t, why does the mon
-;oo,c attack the cobra? A live mon
GOOSE Is said never to touch dead
COBRA III the way of food, and the bris-
tly carcass OF u mongoose is probably
too tough for even the capacious Giges-
ton OF his natural adversary. We can
only account for 1t, therefore, on the
same principle that the best bred game
dogs will not touch the flesh of the
quarry that they arc so fond OF hunt
ing.
The active little mongoose is almost
always the aggrcssor, for the compare
ativciy awkward cobra, unless he got
him asleep, would probably never think
of attacking his more nlmblc opponent,
and it is generally the mongoose that
is victor in these encounters. Though
the cobra rears his head, expands his
hood umbrclla-like to the utmost and
Kisses viciously, his dabs ut the enemy
seem misdirectel and aimlcss, for the
willy mongoose suddenly becomes dou
BILE his natural size by the erection of
his tough, bristly coat in Il way that
seems quite to deceive even the wise
serpent as to what may be bristlcs and
what not. 1t is only just to say for
the cobra, though, that. II his fangs
were not extracted or the poison glands
destroyed IL successful chance peck
would soon finish the mongoose in spite
of his activity.
The natural luminosity is no doubt
greatly toned down i'll the specimens
possessed by the jugglcrs. Familiarity
breeds tolerance, if not contempt, Oh
both sides, SO that they must attack
one another with less ferocity than in
their natural wild condition and must
often laugh in their sleeves when the
farce Is over.
had the good or bad luck to come
across many cobras here and there, the
most Of which I killed. Indeed, there
is little to fear from cobra IN the
open. If you do not attack him lie Is
not likely to attack you unless he takes
1t into his head that you are going to
tread OH the tail Of his coat. 1t is
popular delusion that a cobra, after
rearing himself, can jump at the enc
my. This lie Is quite unable to Go, for
the motion of the head Is along the are
of u circle OF which the radius extends
from the head to the part OF the SER
pent touching the ground.
On one occasion during the war IN
upper Burma, when resting Oh IL small
tent bed OF al eighty pound service
tent, saw Il cobra walking stcalthily
Into my parlor, as the, spider would
say to the fly, through the open door.
1 say walking" nt!viseliy, because
scrpents Go actually walk OH the end
of their ribs instead of wrigg.ing along
after the fashion OF worms. The pres
encc of this snake naturally created
quite ii nasty feeling. with such mar
row compass to move about iii, but the
snake did not get out alive.
There are such incredible stories in
vented about cobras In India and SO
cXtravagant, too, that one hesitates to
mention ones own more modest,
though truthful, experiences, us not
quite thrilling enough to be placed OIL
record.
My own most creepy sensation was
ut an UP country station in India. l
had newly arrived there from Burma
and was writing ut nighttime on one
of the usual kinds Of writing desks,
with drawers OH each side and an
empty interval below and between. the
desk being, as usual, placed against
one Of the walls of the room.
was dressed, moreover, i'll thin, hot
weather clothing, and therefore partic-
ularly vulnerable to the bites Of
snakes. My legs were in the empty
space beneath the lid and in the inter-
val between the drawers ON either
SIDE But what was it that suddenly
observed creeping round from the end
of the table to my right and going into
the hollow almost in touch with my
right foot? 1t was vile cobra.
could not jump away on account Of the
position III which was placed.
ut once realized that to move In any
way would probably rouse the serpent
Immediately to rear and strike. At
any rate whether 1t was by calm cal
culntion or that was too petriticd with
horror to move, l never did move n
muscle till, to my intense relief, the CO.
bra got beyond my feet to the back Of
the hollow against the wall. Then !
moved away with less grace than agil-
ity and shouted to my bearer "Eoy!
Boy!' Mt the top of my voice, for it Is
scarcely nccdful to tell that not even
the common or garden bell rope has