Tales About the Little People.

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 257, 26 July 1930, Page 28

Tales About the Little People.

By

H. COLLETT

For “The Junior Dominion*

A BABY. A MONGOOSE AND A COBRA—A TRUE TALE

FROM INDIA.

Charley Martin was a boy who was very fond of all dumb animals and had quite a menagerie of strange and quaint pets. One afternoon, when out walking, he came across the dead bodies of two mongoose, a male and female, that had evidently been poisoned. Beside the body of the mother mongoose nestled a tiny baby—a poor wee mite, only a few days old, that looked more like a morsel of pink flesh than anything else, for no fur had had time to grow on its body yet. Charley felt sorry for the tiny orphan and decided to take it home and rear it, if he could manage to do that, rather than leave it to die of starvation. At first he fed it by soaking a small bit of cotton wool in milk and then putting it into the little creature’s mouth to suck and so get fed. In about a week’s time the fur began to grow and the baby mongoose increased rapidly in size; not that it would ever become very large—about the size of a ferret when fully grown. In its smallest stage the baby mongoose would climb up Charley’s coat'sleeve to. rest or sleep; next it would camp in a coat-pocket; then, when it grew too big to do that, would ride perched upon his shoulder or trot about after him, just like a little dog., answering to its name—which was “Bob”— and responding to a whistle. It was very fond of Charley, but had one great fault: it was very jealous, and, were any other animal taken notice of, its fur would bristle with anger, it would hiss and chatter furiously and prepare to attack the other.

What games the two of them indulged in! Charley would sit and watch his pet at play, turning most wonderful somersaults, disappearing and appearing as by magic, all in a moment, that made him think of the saying, “Now you see it—now you don’t!” His friends would chaff him about his favourite pet frequently; he did not mind that at all, and would generally reply, “Bob is as good as most dogs and better than some.”

In India many people sleep out iff the open during the “hot weather” (summer) for coolness and air. Charley, of course, did so also. His “charpoy” (bed) would be made underneath a tree in the “compound” (grounds), and when he lay down Bob would make himself “comfy” at the foot of the bed. Woe betide any snake, however big and venomous, that dared approach too nearly where Bob was on guard; so his master had nothing to fear in that direction. Then, at last, came the great day m Bob's life—the day when he earned the love and gratitude of the whole Martin family and repaid his life-debt with interest.

One evening Charley’s baby sister was sleeping in her cradle on the veranda of their bungalow, with her feeding-bottle beside her. A terrible and venomous cobra, attracted by the smell of the milk—all snakes are very fond of milk—appeared and made towards the cradle, alongside which it coiled up. Then, raising its head, it spread out its spectacled hood and stared down at the little sleeper with cruel, cold, fascinating eyes, ready to strike with deadly poison-fangs at any moment. Luckily the baby slept on; a single movement would have meant being bitten—and death! Presently Mrs. Martin came out to see if the baby were still asleep. You can easily imagine her horror at what she saw! She did not dare to attempt any rescue, lest the cobra should strike; in fact, she was almost paralysed with fright. Recovering her presence of mind, she stepped noiselessly indoors and called frantically for Charley, who came at a run, with Bdb close upon his heels. Bob lost no time; he saw the snake beside the cradle, knew what was required of him, and, darting past his master, rushed to the rescue.

The cobra, too, sensed the arrival of his most dreaded enemy; it was too late to escape, so he prepared to fight for his life; all dse was forgotten! The fight was furious, though short; it did not take Bob long to destroy the snake; and oh, how you would have enjoyed to witness Bob rush quite fearlessly to the rescue! > [Some other time I may describe one of these battles between a mongoose and snake and tell you more about Bob’s adventures if you are sufficiently interested to mention it to “Kiwi.”J