THE BRUISED SERPENT 183 



they may at any time become rabid and inflict 

 that unspeakable dreadful suffering and destruction 

 on us. This leads to the following question : Is 

 it not at least probable that our excessive fear of 

 the serpent, so unworthy of us as rational beings 

 and the cause of so much unnecessary cruelty, is, 

 partly at all events, a result of our superstitious 

 fear of sudden death ? For there exists, we know, 

 an exceedingly widespread delusion that the bite 

 of a venomous serpent must kill, and kill quickly. 

 Compared with such ophidian monarchs as the 

 bush-master, fer-de-lance, hamadryad, and tic- 

 polonga, the viper of Europe — the poor viper of 

 many experiments and much, not too readable, 

 literature — may be regarded as almost harmless, 

 at all events not much more harmful than the 

 hornet. Nevertheless, in this cold northern world, 

 even as in other worlds where nature elaborates 

 more potent juices, the delusion prevails, and may 

 be taken in account here, although its origin cannot 

 now be discussed. 



Against sudden death we are taught to pray 

 from infancy, and those who believe that their 

 chances of a happy immortality are enormously 

 increased when death comes slowly, approaching 

 them, as it were, visibly, so that the soul has 

 ample time to make its peace with an incensed 

 Deity, have not far to look for the cause of the 

 feeling. It is true that death from hydrophobia 

 is very horrible, and, comparatively, of frequent 

 occurrence, but it does not find its victim wholly 



