THE GANGES BREAKING ITS BANKS, WITH FISHING, ijc. 127
iLs eneiny, it lashes willi ils tall in a most forcil)le manner. Tlic flesh usually
spliacelates, aiul leaves a considfrable sore, which flie natives atLribiUc to venom.
Such, however, cannot be the case; and we may safely conclncle, thai llic
severity of tiie .siroke with so rough a weapon is the sole cause of ihc miscliief,
which in so warm a climale, and where surgery is so lillle unclerslood, increases
r a p i d l y . FnrUinately the lemperancc of the generality of the natives in regard
to their viands and beverage, renders their habits liiglily favourable towards a
speedy cnre ; to wliicli tlie cleanliness enforced by their religious ablutions
necessarily add.s.
T h e poison of a saake operates with certainly if fairly introduced inlo ihe
circulalion : the elTeel will be more or less rapid according to circumstances,
and not a little depends on the state of the sufTerer's body, whether he be cool,
or heated with exercise. Il is proper to inform ihe reader, lhat only tiie two
eye teeth can impregnate any subject with the ])oison. They have al iheir
roots, within the j aw, each a small cyst, or bag, containing liie venom. These
b e i n g pressed in the act of biting discharge iheir contents through the fangs
respectively, by means of a very small channel or groove, which reaches from
t h e place where the bag envelopes ihe root, about half way up the tooth,
having its vent on the inside of the fang. Hence il is obvious that, if the
person be thickly cloalhed, or that ihe jaws be not sufficiently compressed lo
forcc the venom out of the cyst, no mischief will ensue. This nol being duly
a t t e n d e d lo, has, no doubt, given credit lo many snpposed anlidoles, which,
•when the real natiirc or kind of snake has been iisccrlained lo be venomous, lias
been supposed to work a cure; \vhen in truth the absence of the deleterious
m a i l e r has been ihe sole cause of safely.
1 have made n«m<M-ons experiments M-ith snakes, and invariably found, lhat
every kind 1 ever saw would freely enter the water. The natives have an
opinion, that their venom loses its fatal properties when inuucrsed ; but of this
we have no proof; and our knowledge of the anatomy of the parts containing
ihe poison should induce us lo reject such a wild conjecture: il being sufliciciilly
evident, lhat the })unoture receives and buries llio venom, Avilhoul the least
chance of ils being washed away or diluted by the liijuid.
Persons working in fields arc often bitten, and as no ]iunclure, in general,
appears, the poor fellows are apt to attribut e the uneasiness lirst felt, to the
prickings of ihorns, ih is lies, &c. A few minutes, however, never fail lo exhibit
the real state of the ease, llic unfortunate victim becoming sick, with cold
sweats, and stupor, and gradually subsiding, perhaps occasionally convulsed,
into the arms of dcalh ! Few sun ive more than half an houi-; and many die
w i t h i n live minutes.
T h e snake-catchers in the Carnatic arc said lo possess a medicine which
r e n d e r s (hem totally secure from the effects of venom. This has been doubled;
but they have occasioiuilly supplied some of our faculty Aviih a sufHcient
cjuanlity lo become convinced, by their own personal knowledge, of ils complete
resistance thereto. Many bribes have been oill-red for the recipe, but without
success. Fictitious directions have been given, which failing, ihe properties (.f
Ih
'al antidote have been loo hastily condeiuiied. The only medicine which
has ever been fouiul to answer, except that above noticed, has been a very
p u r e preparation o feaude l.tce.wldeii being swallowed in ihe proportion of a tea
sjioonful lo a wine glass of water, and repeated Iwo or three limes, if occasion
recjuire, has been known lo ¡¡revent fatal conse([ucnces. As to the wound.-i
themselves, they do nol seem lo admit of any efieclual trealment. Oil is genera
l ly rubbed in and drunk ; but no reliance whatever can be placed on such a
course. The eau de luce appears lo prevent lliat stagnation of the blood and
fluids, which we may reasonably infer lakes place, from knowing that a snake'.s
venom dropped, in the smallest quantity, inlo mi lk, instaiilly acts as powerfully
as a very large portion of rennet.
\ l h e n snakes are known to infest particular places, the cunjooys, or snakecatchers,
are called in. These, by smellingal the ditVerenl burrows, a lonce decide
in which the snake ihen harbours. Taking care to keep out of sight, they play
on an inslrument not unlike a haulboy ; and having scattered some scents on
t h e floor, of which llie dunneah, or corianilcr, is one, the snake soou comes forth,
w h e n o u e o f the col leagues watching his opportunity, seizes the delighted reptile
b y ihe tail, and rapidly slipping the oilier hand up lo its neck holds it firm •
while the musician, liaving thrown aside his pipe, and taken a pair of pliers
soon robs the snake of its fangs, and their concouiilaiit venom. Thus the
formidable covra capcHu becotoes an iimocent inslrument of display, at the
command of his dexlerous captor! Very large snakes are taken by means of
nets and bags.
Ichneumons are very numerous ihroughoul India. They are the natural
enemies of the serpent race, searching them out and attacking them witliout
fear of their bulk or venom. They are ihe ((uickest of all ijuadrupeds in their
motions; and, by their perseverance and acti\ily, so wor r y a snake, thai in the
end they find an opportunity lo seize on the back of the head, where, in spite of
the wrilhings of fhe agonized animal, they kee[) a firm hold, and to a certainly
prove victorious. They are, however, sometimes hillen : on such occasions they
hunt about among the common grass, and there find some antidote, of which
having eaten, and rubbed ihemsclves by rolling on tiie spot, they return to (he
c h a r g e ; never failing lo scent the snake's course perfectly correct. It is a
thousand pities that the antidote resorted lo by the ichneumons has never been
ascertained.
It is ver^- remarkable thai all large snakes are very fond of sucking cows,
goals, &c. ; twining their bodies round the animals hind legs, and drawino' ¡,t
t h e teals with great composure. They are equally fond of eggs, which they
swallow whole. The late Major Darby, when at Cawnpore, had a hen turkey
s i l t i ng on some eggs, of which one vanished daily. He suspected that the
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