216 OPHIDIA. — VIPERAD.E. 



district chanced one morning to get hold of a 

 Cobra of considerable size, which he got conveyed 

 to his home. He was occupied abroad all day, 

 and had not time to get the dangerous fang ex- 

 tracted from the Serpent's mouth. This at least 

 is the probable solution of the matter„ In the 

 evening he returned to his dwelling, considerably 

 excited with liquor, and began to exhibit tricks 

 with his Snakes to various persons who were 

 around him at the time. The newly-caught 

 Cobra was brought out with the others, and the 

 man, spirit-valiant, commenced to handle the 

 stranger like the rest. But the Cobra darted 

 at his chin, and bit it, making two marks like 

 pin points. The poor juggler was sobered in 

 an instant. ' I am a dead man,' he exclaimed. 

 The prospect of immediate death made the 

 maintenance of his professional mysticism a 

 thing of no moment. ' Let the creature alone,' 

 said he to those about him, who would have killed 

 the Cobra ; ' it may be of service to others of my 

 trade. To me it can be of no more use. No- 

 thing can save me.' His professional knowledge 

 was but too accurate. In two hours he was a 

 corpse ! I saw him a short time after he died. 

 His friends and brother jugglers had gathered 

 aromid him, and had him placed on a chair in a 

 sitting position. Seeing the detriment likely to 

 result to their trade and interests from such a 

 notion, they vehemently asserted that it was not 

 the envenomed bite which had killed him. ' No, 

 no ; he only forgot one little word — one small 

 portion of the charm.' In fact, they declared 

 that he was not dead at all, but only in a sort 

 of swoon, from which, according to the rules of the 



