ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 67 



as a quarter of an inch in length, and shaped like a dog's 

 tooth, still contained the fatal venom, as might be seen in 

 the darkly-tinged and thread-like tubes passing up their 

 centre, which tubes, if empty, would have been trans- 

 parent ; there was, in fact, enough venom in them, if 

 moistened, to kill any one touching them with the least 

 abrasion on their fingers. I hadn't particularly heeded mine, 

 and pretty often for a fortnight had been picking up the 

 mysterious little scraps of things to gaze at them under a 

 strong magnifier — attached to their card certainly, but that 

 was only for fear of losing them — so great was the fascina- 

 tion they had for me, and very thankful I was to reflect 

 that at any rate no one else had had access to them. 



If you should by ill-chance find yourself in the near 

 neighbourhood of a cobra, tho best thing next to getting 

 away is to keep perfectly quiet. If you remember this, 

 and have yourself well in hand, you are probably safe, as 

 long, that is, as the dreaded hood — its danger signal, only 

 raised in anger or excitement — lies level. I once found 

 myself in such a position. What it would be to see the 

 fateful hood raised at oneself I do not know ; to find oneself 

 near a cobra at all is bad enough almost to stop one's 

 heart beating for horror, while passively, as it were, waiting 

 on the creature's whim. Those who have experienced 

 such moments will tell you that to be face to face with a 

 cobra carries with it an indescribable sensation of chill. 

 The metallic-looking body, the flat head, and narrow, 

 glinting eyes strike one through and through with a mortal 

 cold. Very gems for beauty are those emerald-gleaming 

 eyes, but of a sort likely to be better appreciated at your 

 leisure with a sheet of glass betwixt you and them. 



One morning when luxuriating on the verandah — 

 Indian fashion in a reposeful chair, with my feet tucked 

 up — I noticed a black Persian cat (never very far off, and 

 now stretched out on one of the long arms of my chair) 



