The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-01
The Gateway to the Philippines
By Frank G. Carpenter

finished his feast and walked out Of
the nut, leaving the boy overhead un-
disturbed.
n Land OF SNAKES.
AS for me, [ am more afraid of the
snakes than the tigers. The latter
are coWardly beasts, and Will attack
one only in the dark or when they
can sneak up behind and catch him
OF guard. The snakes are SO many
that one is liable to step upon them
as he goes through the jungle, or. if
he sleeps in a native hut, one may
perhaps drop down from the roof.
There are fOrty-fOur kinds of snakes
on this little island, which is not half
as big as some Texas farms, and of
these there are fourteen varieties
which carry poison bags under their
tongues or at the roots Of their teeth.
The worst, perhaps, is the cobra,
which splits venom n M~alayans
tell me there is no cure for its bite.
When attacked it erects the body and
dilates h skin on each side of the
head so that it seems to have put on
a hood. At the same time it makes
a noise like an angry cat, and if at
tackled 1T will throw to q distance OF
six or eight feet a poisonous fluid
which. il it touches the eye or 4 sore,
means sure death. 1t is this d
that the iugglers all over the far east
teN ~ hiloN AIi0Ii Shlti. my LIN
it with impunity, laying it on the
ground and playing upon a flute
which GEMS to charm it. They also
wrap cobras around their naked
necks and fondle them. The other
day a traveller who was Watching one
of these Eindoo jugglers made a bet
that the cobra-s poison glands had
been extracted, and offered to prove
this by handling the cobra himself. He
grabbed hold of it and the snake sank
its fangs into his arm. He died within
a few hours.
A cobra was recently found in a
bathroom where a little baby was
playing. 1t did not offer to injure the
child. and seemed inclined to play
With it, and it was only when the
other people came in that it elevated
its head. swelIed out its hood. and be
gan to spit. The other day three Of
these snakes We're found at ore time
in the bathroom of a villa near here.
Among the other snakes are py-
thons, twenty or more feet in length.
| They are not dangerous, and out IN
the country the natives aomesticate
them and use them as rat catchers in
the place Of house cats. one twenty
feet long was recently captured in a
Buddhist temple outside Singapore.
The government is now paying s.
apiece for dead snakes OF fourteen
feet and upward, and from that down
to 90 cents for the smaller varieties.
Civilized Singapore.
Stories like those l have Just told
seem strange in connection with this
island Of Singapore. which is perhaps
the richest trade center Of it's kind.
If is the great halfway station around
the world, the chief city at the cross
ways Of the hemispheres and our
southern gateway to the Philippine
Islands. 1t has a harbor which cost
millions, and today something like
$500, 000.C eco worth Of merchandise
comes annually into it. 1t is the
seventh harbor of the world in ton
mage and seventh in the mi OF
vessels which call. There are fifty
two different steamer lines which stop
at Singapore, and the English gov
ernment IS now investing something
like $50, coo, 600 to make new docks
and TO improve this as a naval base.
Singapore is one of the most i'm
portant of the commercial ports Of the
far east. 1t is the ganglionic nerve
center, or rather Shipping center, for
abe archipelago Of the Dutch East
IndieS. for Siam and, as far as the
eastern trade is concerned, for Asia
and Europe. 1t is one Of the best
places for the pushing of American
trade, and We are fortunate Just now
in having an experienced, active and
up-to-date consul general. refer to
Mr.. James T. Du Bots. who did sue
excellent service IS consul to Leipzig
ana other parts Of Germany and who
saved the government millions of dol
lars BY exposing the corrupt lace I'M
Denominations while he was consul
general to switzerland
MIR. Du Bots believes that our trade