THE KING-COBRA. 25 



of the basket, and, aiming at the hood, fired both 

 barrels in rapid succession, and had the satis- 

 faction of seeing the horrid brute fling up the 

 leaves and dust in its death throes. I looked 

 round for the first assailant, and found it lying in 

 the path with several more arrows planted in it, 

 but still biting fiercely at the arrow that had 

 first entered its body. A shot in the head soon 

 settled this brute also. 



Permal said we might now leave the shelter 

 of the baskets, as there could be no more full- 

 grown king-cobras in that place. There might be 

 very young ones, but they would not attack us. 

 There were never more than a pair of large snakes 

 of this species in any one locality, he added. As 

 soon as the little ones could hunt for themselves, 

 they went off to other places, or else fell victims 

 to the rapacious appetites of their parents. The 

 snakes were at once skinned by the Chentsus, 

 who used the sharp iron heads of their arrows 

 for this purpose. The poison fangs and glands, 

 the palate, and the gall were carefully preserved by 

 them for medicine. Diluted with gingelly oil, the 

 poison is drunk in small portions, and is said to 

 be a wonderful preservative against all snake-bites. 



I measured the skins when we got home late ,that 

 evening. The larger one was fourteen feet eight 

 inches, and the other thirteen feet. Leaving the 

 younger of the Chentsus to finish the skinning, I 

 went on with Permal to visit the old diamond 

 mines, and there a most singular adventure befell 

 me ; but I must reserve this for another chapter. 



