ANECDOTES. 193 



No person should walk over grass or through 

 jungle in India, without having boots on, or travel 

 without having some volatile spirits with him. 

 It strikes me that a clever mechanic might invent 

 a machine, upon the principle of a cupping-glass 

 and syringe, that would draw the poison from the 

 wound, which also might be serviceable for the 

 bites of mad dogs. 



When shooting with another gentleman (who 

 is now in England, and can vouch for the truth of 

 the occurrence I am about to relate), in a thick 

 jungle near MongJiier, he being at some distance 

 behind, and feeling fatigued with heat and exer- 

 cise, I approached, as I thought, a large trunk of 

 a date tree, lying on the ground, with the inten- 

 tion of sitting down on it ; but when I came near, 

 I discovered that they were snakes, coiled up ex- 

 actly like head ropes of horses, when the horses are 

 not in the stable : at that instant, the gentleman 

 made his appearance, and I called out to him in a 

 hasty violent manner, desiring him to come to me 

 immediately. I believe he first thought I saw a 

 tiger, or some animal of prey ; but when I de- 

 scribed what they were, and he saw them, he im- 

 mediately presented his gun at them, and we both 

 fired with shot at the same instant. Being very 



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