Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 198, 1 July 1864, Page 4

FicIIT 11ET\VEE>- an IciIXEOIOX A.NI) A ColtUA. In a letter to tho Jtitdrit.* 2W.v, <Htc-d Tnchmopoly, Tulvli "I'd Minicd bv three oflieers ot the Indian • ol .vi„ 'wo lind the following' interesting iteecmnt of a iisr'nt-between a mongoose ur ichm-mnonunu . cobra : '• VTi; think tlio long-vexed question \\ bethel tho oho. on being bitten by the eobra, ivtiiv* „, t o tho iun'-lo and iinds some herb as an untiuote lor tho poison, "or wether the venom of tiie serpent.lnduces no eil'ect on the animal, has hem at last set d-d. On Haturdav moroinsj hist, whilst scute,! m the lue.-snouse will! several oiiieers of tlio regiment, a servant cane ~„d <tat.-d that a snake had been seen by one ot Mo •• iiard to •, liter a hole in the -round c-.osc to „• tnc guard to. We immediat.-ly ?<s>ilUT « in. Fame one and the -i :y • .""ccr). f < 1"" h'm to the hole. 110 so,n bg u. to seratea away Jhe earth, and in half an hour a line cobra, asout a yard Ion", came forward, with head erect, anl hood d H . tended", to attack the mongoose, vlu> mviu-1 to care nothinir for the reptile, but merclv jumpel-iu ct tii« wavuTaVoid the blows which the snakj- stru-k at him. The mongo-se unfoitunat. ly l.:d ]u>t been fed eonse.uientlv did not ,-hov selheient inclination to io in at him" and kill him; so we seemed the snake and ( allied him over to one ot the olhcer's „ quarters to have the contest earned out there, niter tho mongoose should have had a little time to get over his 'breakfast. Alter a couple of lours rc s t we placed the cobra in a room, with closet doors (we having in the meantime taken up a scuro station in the room, from which we could obrirve ad the movements of the combatants), the monpose was let in anil the liuht commenced. The lnngoose approached the i obva with caution, but evoid of any appoatauce of fear, 'i'he cobia. w:lli had erect and bodv vibrating, watched bis oppoiientwith evident situs of bi-inu aware of how deadly all (leii y lie had to contend with. I'he m< njroose was soon within easv striking distance of tlio snake, wo, suddenly thruwimj back his he.id, struck at tliemiigoo.-e with tremenduous i'orce. 'I lie mongoose, tjuie as thought, spuing back out of leach, uttering at te same time savage growls. A gain the hooded rejitile-isoon the defensive,'and themongoose,nothing dallied by the distended jaws and glaring eyes ot his aiagonist. approached so near to thesnakcthat he wiebri e l,not relishing such close pioximity, !o draw hiscad back consideraidv. 'i'hislcssencdeoiisiderahly hi-listance irom the—round; the mongoose at once seeiil the advantageous opportunity, sprang at the coin's head, and appeared to iiiil'ict as well as to reeve a wound. Again tho combatants put themselves i a position tu lvnew the encounter, again the snak'Struck at his wily opponent, and again the latter ?agility saved him. it would be tedious to recount le particulars of about, a dozen successive rounds,t the end of which lime neither combatants seemedo sutler more than the other ; we will limit our.'el-s to describe the linal and most interesting encoimr. The tight had lasted some three-quarters ot unour, avid both combatants seemed to nerve themselvtior a iiirtl encounter. The cobra changing his po.-ion of defence for that of attack, seemed determined ow to ' do or die.' Slowly on his watehiul t neinyho cobra Ufvauccd; with equal eourag«the mong<so awaited the advance of his rftill unvanqui.-hed foe. The cobra had now approach* d .so ch>e chat the.* moj!>ose, owinfif to the want ol' space behind, was uuablei spring out ot' leach bv jumping baehwunis, as ho 11 done in tlio previous enc> unters, and nimbly bnded straight up in titC air. The eobia missed objuct. and atiuuk tlio yi'i.und ujah-r liini. ImHuately on the uiuiil»uo. < u aliu'iiimiTj ila; cid'i'a. (pic as thouufiit, >ti uck imain, aud to ail appeavaiiccrbtrd iis in Hit; ia;;;d of tiio in"i!v-o. 'l'iio us the cui<ra w..s withdrawing his licad ait-uiviiiir inilicted tho bite, inrlautly lvlaliatvd by ii\J his teeth in the head t«t* the e«-bia. *js Seemed to i-onvince t-be eobra ill it be was n-match tor his lieree and Avatehiul nUt; ;n,aow no hinder exhibit inir :i head en et and a (h*ii;i eye, nntV-lded I his ut i l . and ii:iieinini«'U<iv slunk ty. Instantly tlie r.u'Uu'i". was '«n liis ivtr«.aiinirO, an«l L his teeth in his biain, at oiu e t-ed the conte.-t. ; Tho jk» ii.ireoso now .-el 10 work Tour his victim, and in a tew minute* liad t.aten tlnJfld and two «»r tlivt.e im-hes <-t' the bt (iy. inelud. tin- vein 111 >o 1 ili*< j.ileii. \Ve sliould nave men tiuii® be'ibre, that ]»:evi«>usto tJiis ene»-unt» tlie s?e had stMielc a i li.wl, wlsieli died within iu-U' an In of the infliction of tbe bite, ?howinfr beyond doubt capacity of in- / itiftiiiLr ii deadly wonr.d. Alter 5 mongoose had j-:;!ir-li. d his appetite, we proceeded examine with a l pocket leii> ih«' wounds v.'ldch he I received • Ihe cobra, and in away t bleed irom or.e oj' those ]'l;:ees, theb lls d.r-closedtlrokell fang oftlaj t eobra imbedded in the head of t liionuooM-. To r disrovi r whet lier there was any th in the a.ssortion tiiat the monu()('.-e owes hs >unity from tlie bite oi ;he ruot vciu mous of fonts to its knowc b-du«' of a herb which is an antidu:o the or whether on the other hand, u j/i-ylaetn- exists in 1 the blocd of this i xttaordinary aial. rendering it e innocuous to t'nebiteoi'a reptiletal to all other aidmaU, we have had the momsu eoniined »'Vii* ,*<inee (imw f »ui" days ai~o) ami it is as healthy and i lively as ever. .Wo consider, tolore, there no J longer e\il> a doubt t'nat in tlw od of tlio )imnc ti'Mise there i> a prophylactic, andU the idea that X it th rives its impunity irom a Jieis one of many 1 j.oj alar err>.»is," I Tiik, Ki.kctio.n* or a IV-pe.—'icoiTCspoiHlont of the Mui-nitij Just says : — 44 As IiIS always uncor--0 lain, and especially at the aire oi' the possibility of ii i'io Xono's ileiuiso naturaliv L; us to the consideration of the >ti-ps mo.»t likelv be taken by tlio Sacicd C.\^lloy;«• in consequence oi' h an event during (1 the present abnormal condition i.Ome. general .1 conviction has been for sonic- tin>ivvalent that the \ op.-rati(»ns of the ensuing be conducted .j with irreat rapidity, in order insure fir tiie new ! l'ope's eh.-ction the a /fit <na:tipU. «• Among the tradiiional cci-eniei' observed on tie death of the IVpe its the olUcattendam-e of tho 1 Cardinal vimrrliitfin at the bedsiif the defunct with ,i a golden hammer, with which ]&ps three times on the deceased i'ontid's foreheadA'okiniX him tach time by name. Keeeiving' no rense, tho ninuriingo 0 assumes in the interim therein* jrovernment, and C\ announces to tho Cardinals thedutv of electing a ;l successor. J l has been Jiitiicr>u>tomary for the IVntitical corpse to lie in state drive days, and tor ( [ tiie conclave to assemble on th( l tli dav. This i:ave 1 a great advantage to the luliaordinals, for it w.;s o formerly impossible for the fojn. members of tiie s Sacred i'olb residing at a, distance to receive itew- /.{' the l'op</s death in u'jiays, and much le.-s ,[ p..ssible for theui to be in li, r within that tinu'; but in these times ot telograpjjnd express trains so imj>orlant a piece ol hi,* Jlashed in an instant all over Kurope, brimrhaek in a few hours crowds ol Continental Cardinal vote in the brieliysuminoned conclave. This will probably bo more novel than to Italian and resilient Caniiluils, whose of votes will be embar rassed by an m-ation of loreign J /it'/tfi'ifit/ii/. Tliere are, p:oly» adhering to the 0 received rule that St. ir is heuceU-rward t o lie tilled only by an Italian, • niore than tifteen < r n sixte-n Cardinals really J'Jpiji.t., to the tiara ; but it it is true tha'io has already ] dra\yn iqi chirographic in>ti ons tor the selection of his Mtcces.-or —a lact, hytir, which I can hardly credit, so opjuised i.s it to precedent —ilte l? choice of the conclave-wiH to three L'arL ' diuuls, viz., I'.itnV.i, iiunafcid iiofondi, whom iiis Holiness is said to eon-ider : wt ailal.ted to govitn II tu; (_ 1 nii'cii in these troiil/me times. )>ut there ! c 'ire other favourite ctuuy for tiie throne, and '* wla-n called 011 to eleet t l; ,'irdinal.s will doubtie.-s » vote freely, according to i livine inspiration tiiat g governs tiiem oil such oec;ts>-" ii , Send along v»vu Uu'r-i-Cics.—Don't be af'riid to send along your Greunl'j.' These \v« take at it par in payment for ail hmjiies to the farmer for subscription. So send ti lL ,dong, now is the ti:m • lC This is a better speeuiar.i on in niining stocks, for it s. is so pleasant to read a Helper when one knows if he has paid for it, thu jj„ L ,n-; s better and a mall le feels happy, and, it lw,,®. nhe feels rich. Sojpay u prompt and you will "stra'lueky load."