A Moment of-Peril.

Bush Advocate, Issue 355, 19 August 1890, Page 3

A Moment of-Peril.

| .'< / ; ' ■ - : >'. ■■♦■ -'■■■•: ■■'.'■ '• .- I l?he following story comes from £ndia, and ;8 told by an English | officer wno was stationed at Tonngoo,: — ".It „wa&. during'., the wet. monsoon. We were . sitting,, ,pfer 6ur coffee, when a young lieutenant called out, ' I feel something creeping up my riglit )eg,f I men- j tiQn.tha,t, white cany as, trousers are jvorn for the ,sak;e of c001n,e5j3, , , : ,&p. old officer pr.es.ent told the young |eilow not to atir, but sit perfectly quiet, adding that it. was .no doubt a^ and thiat if Ije. were to ; change his, position, he might oe fatally HttSn'."' 1 Tnii young fellow .behaved With, much nel;ve. His face became a sJtxade paler,' but "he toot 'th'e'adyice 1 giVfen and remaihecl, quiet. He told us in a' lbW' ydice that the breature whatever' it! was; ' could not get past his kia ee; ' and' that it had coifed'arbund- his leg: Not knowing how the affair might end, the . colonel sent to ' town for a,' ' sriakip- ' psaf meV.-'^Two" of the worthies s'obh made Jheir appearance— one , with reed-jiipß soin.ewhat , resembling a flageolet,, the' other, bearing a bas-jc^-witH flaps' to' ■ii'^'lke] ; fcasVet with one flap up, ; t*as' set "dbwil tie rmfa'd' t4e ; young officer's ; chair;,' 'the • beWe*' ''squatting ' 'beside it/ 'The' other officers made room for the Oha'rmers. : ' The 1 'musician "cbmpiencdd to play a' low, soft melody 1 on^hiß' pip.^ ' monotonous but pleas- ' irfgt' I^afey'ininUtes the head of the reptile iwksi's^en fcopeep '6ut of j;he young officer's" trou'sets", 1 and after :^nddding-i'ifr" about a 1 - littie, keeping itim'ei with- tfce caidence 1 of the tfiusic, 1 the »snakei i : slowly wriggled itself free from the ' young man's lejj /and** glided .towards the piper. The music now became fast ■ and wild, the snake- keeping time w^.th it ; , until ,with . a rapid ', sharp mqY i e J m,ent, the, man on the floor caught the. snake by, the neck,, thus forcing; his, jaws apart. , Prodming a steel instrument the operator pull the poison, bag out with a dexjterou8 f ;j t erk, then threw . the snake |nto the basket and shut down the flap* ,^On- receiving a few rupees, the^ohiarmers made a low obeisance ancl i*e^i;ed with their prize. The knake proved to be a cobra di bapello, or hooded 9nake. about eighteen inches in length. , After pc reptile had withdrawn from jibout his " : 'le^ the • j outig 1 ' 'fellow jwould* Have fainted from Ibhe reaction, but an old officer .had a : tumble'ri <6t ' brandy • ready, 1 which he made the youth swallow. This restorative soon put him to rights, although 'I don't suppose he forgot |,he incidbnt for some; time."