IMPRISONED BY A COBRA 229 



long, forked tongue darting in and out of its 

 mouth. 



"My blood seemed to freeze; a cold sweat 

 covered my forehead and I was nearly petrified 

 from fear. Every instant I expected to see the 

 reptile's head dart forward and to feel its 

 deadly fangs enter my flesh. Had I moved 

 again, this would have happened. Finally, 

 the hood gradually contracted and the snake 

 dropped to the ground and continued its tour 

 of investigation. 



"It moved around behind and out of my 

 sight, but I could trace its position by the 

 grating of its body on the gravel. Soon I heard 

 it scuffling about at my feet and the next instant 

 felt its head hit them and its body begin to slide 

 over. That snake seemed to be a hundred feet 

 long, but, finally, it once more came into view, 

 its head held close to the ground. 



"I had kept still for so long that my nerves 

 were almost shattered, and I was willing to 

 resort to desperate means in order to rid myself 

 of my captor. 



"While I had been sleeping my helmet had 

 fallen from my head and had rolled to the 

 ground in front of me. Toward this the cobra 



