ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 63 



peons had been bitten by some sort of snake. He did not 

 see the creature, only feeling the bite, and came running 

 up, his hand held out and downwards, gasping hoarsely, 

 ' Samp ! Samp ! ' (' Snake ! Snake ! '). He knew what 

 should be done, the sooner the better. Without wincing, 

 except for a flicker of the eyelids, he bore the sharp, scoop- 

 ing turn of F.'s pocket-knife, and in all appearance gladly ; 

 then F., putting his own mouth to the wound, drew at it 

 long and hard. This was done several times, and afterwards 

 the hand was bathed and bandaged in carbolised lint, my 

 husband using some disinfectant for his own mouth. Had 

 there been the least scratch on it he said the peon would 

 have been obliged to suck the wound for himself, and if he 

 did not dare do it either, for the same reason, then some 

 one else must have done him the service, and it would have 

 devolved upon me as the person nearest at the time. I 



remember wondering to myself whether But at any 



rate, after witnessing the calm pluck exhibited by both 

 men equally in those few moments, I felt that I should be 

 ready, if need were, another time. 



Three tiny marks set in a triangle thus, .\ , are a snake's 

 sign-manual, as it were ; they are bluish, or appear so in 

 the brown skin of a native, where only have I seen them. 



A friend of ours once, whilst out shooting alone, found 

 himself bitten on the thumb. He saw the snake, and knew 

 it to be a bad one, but there was no time to kill it, for he 

 had to see to himself. Putting his thumb into position on 

 a tree stump he blew it clean off with his Express, and 

 so saved his life. 



Another incident connected with a snake occurred at 

 a dinner-party. One of the guests noticed something 

 under the chair of his neighbour, Major C. First saying to 

 him very quietly, ' Don't stir,' he bade a servant bring 

 a saucer of milk, which the man did, guessing at once for 

 what it was wanted. Major C. kept still unquestioningly ; 



