Year: 1859

~ASVat AouA ~e''S eSos myself III
person, had painful experience of the
awful effects of snakes poison. have
received a dose of the cobra's poison
into my system, luckily a minute dose,
or should not have survived it. The
accident happened in a very curious way.
| was poisoned by the snake, but not bit
ten by him. ! got the poison second
hand. Anxious to witness the effects or
the poison of the cobra upona rat, took
up couple in bag alive to a certain
cobra. took one rat out Of the bag,
and put him into a cage with the snake.
The cobra was coiled up among the
stones in the centre of the cage, appar-
emily asleep. When he heard thenoise
of the rate falling into the cage, he Just
looked up and put out his tongue, hissing
at the same time. The rat got into
corner, and began washing himself, keep
ing one eye on the snake, whose appear
ance he evidently did not half like
Presently the rat ran across the snakei
body, and in an instant the latter assum-
ed his fighting attitude. As the rat
passed the snake he made dart, but.
missing his aim, hit his nose a pretty
hard blow against the side of the cage.
This accident seemed to anger him, for
he spread out his crest, and waved it to
and fro in the beautiful manner peculiar
to his kind. The rat became alarmed


and ran near him again. Again cobra
made dart, and bit him, but did not. l
think, inject any poison into him, the rat
being so very active; at least no symp-
toms of poisoning were shown. The
bite nevertheless, aroused the ire of the
rat, for he gathered himself for spring
right on the neck of the cobra, who was
waving about in front of him. This
plucky rat, determined to die hard, gave
the cobra two or three severe bites in
the neck, the snake keeping his body
erect all this time, and endeayoring to
turn his head round so as to bite the rat,
who was clinging on ike the old man in
Sinbad the Sailor. Soon, however. cobra
changed his tactics. Tired, possibly, with
sustaining the weight of the rat, he low
cred his head, and the rat, fading him
self again on terra frma, tried to run
away not so, for the snake. collecting
all his force, brought down his erected
poison-fangs, making his head tell by its
weight in giving vigor to the blow, right
on to the body Of the rat This poor
beast now seemed to know that the fight
was over, and that he was conquered. He
retired to a corner Of the cage, and be-
gan painting violently, endeavoring, at
the same time, to steady his failing
strength with his feet. His eyes were
widely dilated, and his mouth open as if
gasping for breath. The cobra stood
erect over him, Kissing and putting out
his tongue as if conscious of victory. In
about three minutes the rat fell quietly
on his side and expired: the cobra then
moved off and took no further notice of
his defunct enemy. About ten minutes
atterward the rat was hooked out of the
cage for me to examine. No external
wound could l see anywhere, so took
out my knife and began taking the skin
off the rat. l soon discovered two very
minute Punctures, like small holes.
in the side of the rat, where the fangs
of the snake had entered. The parts
between the skin and the flesh, and the
flesh itself, appeared as though affected
with modification, even though the wound
had not been inflicted above quarter of
an hour, if so much.


Anxious to see if the skin itself was
affected, 1 scraped away the parts on it
with my finger-nail. Finding nothing
but the punctares, I threw the rat awav
and put the knife and skin in my pocket,
and started to go away. / had not walk
ed hundred yards before all of a sudden
felt just as if somebody had come be-
bind me and struck me a severe blow on
the head and neck, and at the same time
L experienced a must acute pain and
sense of oppression at the chest, as
though hot iron had been run in and
a hundred weight put on the top Of it.
knew instantly, from what had read.
that / was poisoned said as much to
my friend most intelligent gentleman.
who happened to be with me, and told
him if | fell to give me brandy and eau de
luce, words which be kept repeating in
case he might forget them. At the same
time enjoined him to keep me going.
and not on any account to allow me to lie
down. then forgot every thing for
several minutes, and my friend tells me
/ T roI1aJ ,bo.,t a. ;f ,varr f,,s.4 - , - L