32 Naturalist at Large 



a lizard or a snake. I strongly suspected snake. I gave it a 

 poke with the tip of my digger and out came the most 

 magnificent cobra you ever saw. 



We subsequently preserved any number of them for 

 specimens, but none so "manner-gorgeous" as this one. It 

 came out, reared up, its beady eyes peering from side to 

 side as it moved its head inquiringly, its tongue flashing. 

 I had to have a picture of it. I had no long-focus camera in 

 those days and I wanted a picture of this cobra which 

 would fill the whole plate. I got it (I have the picture 

 framed on my wall at this moment) by lying down on the 

 ground and edging up until I was right in front of the 

 snake. My wife stood by with an open parasol, and when 

 he saw fit to make a nip at the camera, which meant com- 

 ing pretty close to my face and hands, she would lower 

 the parasol in front of him and he would sway back and 

 straighten up again. I took a number of excellent snapshots 

 and then carefully shot the snake with a charge of dust-shot 

 in a .38 cartridge so as to damage him as little as possible. 



We got an earthenware jar from the village near by, 

 coiled our treasure down in it, and went back to Lucknow. 

 Rosamond refused to have the snake in our room because, 

 as she wisely maintained, snakes have a way of coming to 

 life after they have apparently been killed. The upshot was 

 that a jackal sneaked up on the low clay porch in front 

 of the room and carried off the cobra while we were hav- 

 ing supper. But I still have the photograph, and I am still 

 just as convinced as I was then that I am fortunate in 

 having a wife who is not only beautiful but brave. I had 

 stepped into great good fortune. 



