TWO SNAKE ADVENTURES 



practice of using these stones as snake-bite curers, sur- 

 reptitiously soak them in milk, after each operation, to 

 purge them of the poison they have absorbed so as to 

 be fit to use again, but how far this is true I cannot 

 say. 



Although it is not often that Europeans are exposed to 

 any danger from snakes, I had once a very narrow escape 

 from one myself. 



Coming out one morning from my bath, I sat down at 

 the dressing-table and stretching out my legs underneath 

 it, I felt something cold under my feet, both of which were 

 bare. Looking down, I discovered to my horror that one 

 foot was resting on a coiled-up snake. 



Luckily, I had the presence of mind to move the foot 

 gently away, and seizing the nearest weapon I could find, 

 which unfortunately happened to be my best fishing-rod, 

 I struck at the beast, which was fortunately somewhat 

 lethargic, either from a full meal or the cold. I smashed 

 the rod to pieces, but seemed to make little impression on 

 the snake, which was finally finished off by my orderly, 

 who hearing the disturbance came to my assistance. The 

 snake proved to be a cobra. I had thus every reason to be 

 thankful for my escape. 



The only other case I remember of Europeans being 

 exposed to danger from snakes was of a man who, with his 

 wife and children, was staying with a friend. Coming in 

 from shooting one day, he saw a huge snake in the hall 

 close to where his children were playing. Slipping a 

 cartridge into his gun, he promptly shot it, and only then 

 discovered that it was a harmless rock snake that he had 

 killed. However, as it is always safer to assume that all 

 Indian snakes are dangerous, this fact did not trouble him, 

 and when he met his host he told him what had happened, 

 but to his amazement, the latter, so far from expressing 

 any regret for the anxiety he had suffered, was most 

 indignant, and reproached him for, what he was pleased 

 to describe, his inhumanity in killing a harmless 

 snake ! 



Too angry at the moment to reply, he waited till he felt 

 calmer, then asked if he would kindly tell him how he could 

 have ascertained whether the snake was harmless or not, 



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