The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-22
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Edited by MARY MARSHALL
Some Snake Experiences
By H. HERVEY.

!
lows for Europeans were-and still
! demonstrated with matched oil
tiled pitch-roofs. To prevent such
noxious creatures as scorpions. tar
tanulas. centipedes, snakes, from fall
ing into the apartments beneath. a
and stretched across from wall to
wall. 1t is common occurrence in
Anglo Indian life. while seated-say
a dinner-and the lamps alight. 10
trace the configuration of snakes and
other creepy" things moving about
on the cloth above
One evening l was dining with a
friend and / noticed that as soon as
we were seated his head servant de-
posted a double-barrel shot gun on
a chair by mis- masters side. Being
an utter stranger to the locality, the
appearance of the gun surprised me
at the dinner table above all places.
Whats that for" l asked, indicating
the breechloader. Expect another mu-
tiny"
My host smiled, shook his head.
You see that ceiling cloth"
Yes. What of it"
Well l only moved into this bum
galow a week ago. and have been
worried by a brute of a snake ever
since. Soon after the lamps are light
ed in this room. he commences to
wriggle about up there. have sent
men on the roof to try and hunt him
out: I have had snake-charmers by
the dozen with view Of wheedling
him out with their discordance and
incsntations: but all to no purpose
am told the only way to get at him
is to unthatch the whole house. but
don't see the fun of that so l have
determined to give him a dose of
swan shot"
When"
'Now-that is as soon as see his
shape bullying the ceiling-cloth
had not much appetite. though my
friends menu was irreproacha BILE; my
attention would persist in wandering
was calculating Lanes chances of Civ
ing the reptile its coup de grace.
when he suddenly put down his spoon
and reached out for his gun. There
he is" he whispered. cooking his
piece and pointing to corner of the
ceiling.
looked. and sure enough on the
cloth / made out the sinuous impress
of a large snake, Lane got on to his
feet. following the erratic movements
the whole area: he seemed to be in
dulging IN a game of play" all to
himself.
At length his activity slackened: we
could perceive he was coillng himself
up for a spell of rest, and. when he
had come TO a complete standstill. my
friend. thrusting the muzzle of his
gun TO within a few inches of the
shape pulled the trigger. There was
a stified exclamation. shuffiing of
feet. and when the smoke cleared. l
saw that Lane had vanished. and
above me there appeared hig hole
in the cloth. the edges of which were
while on the floor lay
in its last death-throes. Lane
soon after reappeared. the servants
brought ladders. and the smouldering
cloth was promptly extinguished.
Il didn't bargain for blowing hole
through the cloth and setting it
alight." explained my friend The
brute came bang down on me out of
it; so I shook him off and jumped
out of the way. I knew, though, he
could not have much life in him. and
that you were in no danger"
The snake measured a little over
three feet. and proved to be one or
those thatch-lurkers. the sting of
which though not so deadly as that of
highly dangerous to human life.
While in quite a different part of
India. my assistant one day reported
bad communication on one of the CAL
cutta telegraph wires; partial
earth" as proved by the test. Native
linemen started from both ends of
the section. met. and returned with
out discovering the cause. 1t being be-
fore the days of localizing faults.
nothing remained but to resort to
section testing: this involving my hav-
ing to go out on the line with a port
a BILE instrument and battery. 1 and
my party travelled by trolley. and
hooked on to the wire at the tenth
mile, A, where, the fact of being able
to communicate perfectly with my
headquarters. B. but not with the Of
Ace ahead. c. told me that the OBJ
whatever il was, lay in
front of me.
Proceeding another ten miles. I
gain hitched on at D. when I spoke
proving that the fault existed be-
tween and A. Abandoning the troll. !
ley. we started back on foot from D
toward A, carefully examining each |
post. insulator. etc.
When within a few yards of A. |
noticed on one of the posts some |
hing that looked like a piece of thin |
rope; one end lying across the faulty |
wire. and the other resting on the |
IRON bracket: which being fixed to
he whole iron support. that piece of
-ope, il moist-as il must have, been |,
IT that rainy season of the year
would create a leakage Of the cur
-ent.
We had light ladder with US: so,
mounting this. I found. not a piece
If rope, but a small water-snake. evil |
iently deposited in that aerial situa-
ion by one Of the numerous birds |
which prey on reptiles Of sorts that