The Sa'-Zada Tales

by Burt L. Standish

  FIFTH NIGHT

  THE STORY OF THE TRIBE OF KING COBRA

  It was the fifth night of the Sa'-zada tales. As usual, Hathi, GreyWolf, and all the other animals, jostling each other merrily like a lotof schoolboys, had gathered in front of Tiger's cage.

  Said the Keeper: "Comrades, you must all be very careful, for this isSnake's night."

  "Oo-o-oh!" whimpered Jackal, "is Nag the Cobra to come here among us?"

  Even Hathi trembled, and blowing softly through his trumpet, said: "Oh,Sa'-zada, I who am a Lord of the Jungle, fearing not any Dwellertherein, feel great pains this evening. I am sure that hay is musty andhas disagreed with me. If you do not mind, Little Brother, I will goback to my stall and lie down."

  "Will Deboia the Climber come also, Little Master?" asked Magh. "If so,I think my Terrier Pup is feeling unwell; I will take him to my cageand wrap him in his blanket. I hate snake stories, anyway."

  "Hiz-z-z!" laughed Python, who was already there. "Lords of the Jungleindeed! When I strike or throw a loop, or go swift as the wind throughthe Jungle--Thches-s-s! but I am no boaster. See our friends. When thesmallest of my kind are to be here each one makes his excuses."

  "Never fear, Comrades," Sa'-zada assured the frightened animals, "Nagthe Cobra, and Karait, and all the others will behave themselves ifthey are left alone. Only don't move about, that's all. The first lawwhen Snakes are about is--keep still."

  "Yes, we like quietness," assented Python. "Once there was a fussy oldBuffalo Bull who used to come to my pool and stir up the mud until itwas scarce fit to live in. In the end I threw a loop around his neck,and he became one of the quietest Bulls you ever saw in your life."

  "Now, Comrades," said Sa'-zada, as he returned accompanied by theDwellers of the Snake House, "Hamadryad, the King Cobra, has promisedus a story."

  "Look at my length," cried Hamadryad, drawing his yellow and blackmottled body through many intricate knots like a skein of colored silk;"think you I was born this way just as I am? At first--that was up inthe Yoma Hills in Burma--I was not much larger than a good-sized hairfrom Tiger's mustache, and since then it has been nothing butadventure. Even my Mother, where she had us hid in a pile of rockscovered with ferns, had to fight for our lives."

  "Phuff!" retorted Boar, disdainfully, "many a nest of Cobra eggs have Irid the world of."

  "Not of my kind, I'll warrant," snorted Python, blowing his foul breathlike a small sirocco almost in Pig's face. "Of Nag, or Hamadryad'sfamily, perhaps, yes, for, know you, Comrades, what Nagina does withher eggs? Lays them in the sun to hatch _apsi_ (of themselves). But myMother--ah, you should have seen her, Comrades; all the eggs gatheredin a heap, and her great, beautiful body--much like my own incolor--wound tenderly about them until the young came forth. Perhaps amatter of two moons and never a bite for her to eat all the time.That's what I call being a genuine Mother."

  "Very wise, indeed, and thoughtful," cried the Salt Water Snake. "MyMother--well I remember it--carried her eggs about in her body tillthey were hatched, which seems to me quite as good a plan. Also, nobodymolests us--if they do, they die quickly. We all can kill quite asreadily as Nag the Cobra, though there is less talk about us."

  "Even so," assented Hamadryad, "the proof of the matter is in beinghere; and, as I was going to say, it is this way with my people; in thehot weather when there is no rain we burrow in the ground for months ata stretch. And then the rains come on and we are driven out of ourholes by the water, and live abroad in the Jungles for a time. It wasat this season of the year I speak of; I had just come up out of myburrow and was wondrous hungry, I can tell you; and, traveling, I cameacross the trail of a Karait. I followed Karait's trail, and found himin a hole under a bungalow of the Men-kind. It was dry under thebungalow, so I rested after my meal in the hole that had been Karait's.It was a good place, so I lived there. Every day a young of theMen-kind----"

  "I know," interrupted Mooswa; "a Boy, eh?"

  "Perhaps; but the old ones called him 'Baba.' And Baba used to comeevery day under the bungalow to play. He threw little sticks and stonesat me; but nothing to hurt, mind you, for he was small. The things hethrew wouldn't have injured a Fly-Lizard as he crawled on the bungalowposts. He laughed when he saw me, and called, as he clapped his littlehands, and I wouldn't have hurt him--why should I? I don't eat Babas.

  "When I heard the heavy feet of the Men I always slipped in the hole;but, one day, by an evil chance I was to one side looking for food, andBaba was following, when his Mother saw me. Such a row there was, theMen running, and Baba's Mother calling, and only the little one with nofear. Surely it was the fear of which Chita and Hathi have spoken whichcame over the Men-kind.

  "AND BABA USED TO COME EVERY DAY UNDER THE BUNGALOW TOPLAY...."]

  "There was one of a great size, like Bear Muskwa, with a stomach suchas Magh's. He was a native baboo. He had a black face, and his voicewas like the trumpet of Hathi; but when I went straight his way, androse up to strike, his fat legs made great haste to carry him far away.Then I glided in the hole."

  "Ghur-ah! it seems a strange tale," snarled Wolf; "even I would notdare, being alone, to chase one of the Men-kind."

  "It may be true," declared Sa'-zada, "for it is written in the Bookthat Hamadryad is the only Snake that will really chase a man, and showfight."

  "I could hear the Men-kind talking and tramping about," continued KingCobra, "and meant to lie still till night, and then go away, for Iusually traveled in the dark, you know. But presently there was a softwhistling music calling me to come out; and also at times a pleadingvoice, though of the Men-kind, I knew that, 'Ho, Bhai (brother), ho,Raj Naga (King Cobra)! come here, quick, Little Brother.' Then the softwhistle called me, sometimes loud, and sometimes low, and even thenoise was twisting and swinging in the air just as I might myself.

  "Hiz-z-z-za! but I commenced to tremble; and I was full of fear, and Iwas full of love for the soft sounds, and with my eyes I wished to seeit. So I came out of the hole, and there was a Black Man making thesoft call from a hollow stick."

  "A Snake Charmer with his pipes," exclaimed Sa'-zada.

  "I raised up in anger, thinking that he, too, would soon run away; buthe pointed with his hand, now this way, from side to side, even as thesweet sound from the hollow stick seemed to twist and curl in the air;and following his hand with my eyes, I commenced to swing as the handswung.

  "'Ho, Little Brother!' he called, 'come here.'

  "It was to a basket at his side; for, though I meant not to do it, Iglided into it."

  "That was the manner of your taking?" asked Chita.

  "Better than having one's toes squeezed in an iron trap," declaredJackal.

  "Or being beaten by chains," murmured Hathi.

  "Yes, the taking was simple enough; but if Baba had not cried, the Menwould have killed me, I think."

  "And that was how you came to Lower Burma?" asked Sa'-zada.

  "Yes," answered Hamadryad, "this man who made music with the hollowstick took me with him, and at every place where there were any of hisfellows he brought me forth from the basket, and made me dance to hismusic. That was what he called it--dance."

  "Why didn't you bite him?" queried Rattler, making his tail rattlessing in anger.

  "He pulled out my fangs," declared Hamadryad.

  "He-he," sneered Magh; "now surely it is a great lie, this wondroustale of Cobra's, for in his mouth are the very fangs he says theblack-faced player of music pulled."

  "Most wise Ape," said Hamadryad, ironically, "what your big head, likeunto a Jack fruit, does not understand, is a lie, forsooth. Even thoughmy teeth were pulled three times, they would grow again; but you do notknow that--therefore it is a lie. Even now, behind these that you see,and perhaps yet may feel if you keep on, are others waiting the timewhen these may be broken. Was it not Hathi said some wise animalarranged all these things for us?"

  "Sa'-zada says it is God," interrupted Hathi.

  "This man made me fight with a Mongoos, that those of his
kind mightlaugh."

  "What is a Mongoos?" queried Magh.

  "Our natural enemy," answered King Cobra, "just as Fleas and otherVermin are yours. But I killed the squeaky little beast with one driveof my head--broke his back. At Ramree a Sahib bought me from the blackman."

  "That was the Sahib who sent you here, I fancy," suggested Sa'-zada.

  "Perhaps. At any rate he seemed fond of Snakes of my kind, for he putme in a box wherein was one of my family. But he should have known moreabout our manner of life, for he nearly starved us through ignorance ofour taste. He puts Rats and Frogs, and Birds and such Vermin as thatin, with never so much as a Green-Tree-Snake. The yellow-faced Burmansused to come in front of our cage and touch us up with sticks until mynose was skinned with striking at them and hitting the bars.

  "Our getting something to eat was a pure accident. One night this Sahibstepped on a Snake--a young Rock Snake, which had curled up in the pathfor the warmth of the hot earth. 'Oh, ho!' said the Sahib, bringingthis new Snake to our cage, 'you are looking for trouble, little _Samp_(snake). Let us see how you get on in there,' and he threw him in ourbox, expecting to see a fight."

  "And did he?" queried Magh.

  "Hiz-z-z-za! I should say so. My mate and I fought half an hour beforewe settled who was to eat the visitor."

  "You two Comrades fought over it?" asked Mooswa.

  "Yes; that is our way. Two Snakes cannot eat one--how else should wesettle the question? we were both hungry. Why, one day my mate flew atme, and I could see in his eye that he meant eating me, and inself-defence I was forced to put him out of the way of mischief, butthe Sahib pulled us apart.

  "But if I hated the Yellow Men who came to my cage, I liked theMem-Sahib (white lady). I think it was her voice. Hiz-z, hiz-z, hiz-z!It was as soft as the song the man had brought forth from the hollowstick. Sometimes I would hear her voice-song near my box, and it wouldput me to sleep; only, of course, I had to keep one eye open lest mymate would try to eat me----"

  "I had no idea Snakes were so fond of each other," said Magh,maliciously.

  "Yes; I think I should have eaten _him_ to have saved that worry. But Imust tell you about the Mem-Sahib and the Cook. He was small and soblack--a perfect little Pig. One day when the Sahib was away, the Cookbecame possessed of strange devils."

  "Became drunken on his Master's liquor, I suppose," remarked Sa'-zada.

  "Perhaps, for he came and took me out of the box, wound me around hisshoulders and waist, and went with a clamor of evil sounds, in to myMem-Sahib."

  "Just like a Man," sneered Pardus.

  "Even I was ashamed," continued Hamadryad. "My Mem-Sahib cried out withfear, and her eyes were dreadful to look into.

  "I glided twice about the Man-devil's neck, and drew each coil tightand tight and tighter, and swung my head forward until I looked intohis eyes, and I nodded twice thus," and the King Cobra swayed hisvicious black head back and forth with the full suggestiveness of adeath thrust, until each one of the animals shivered with fear.

  "I think he died of the Man-fear Hathi has spoken of, for I did notstrike him--it may be that the coils about his throat were over-tight.But I glided back to my box, and I think the Mem-Sahib knew that I didnot wish to even make her afraid."

  "Most interesting," declared Sa'-zada. "Is that all, Cobra?"

  "Yes; I'm tired. Let Python talk."

  The huge Snake uncoiled three yards of his length, slipped it forwardas easily, as noiselessly as one blows smoke, shoved his big flat headup over the Keeper's knee, ran his tongue out four times to moisten hislips, and said: "I am also from the East, and I do not like this land.Here my strength is nothing, for I can't eat. A Chicken twice amonth--what is that to one of my size? Sa'-zada will eat as much in aday; and yet in my full strength I could crush five such as our LittleBrother. Many loops! in my own Jungle I could wind myself about aBuffalo and pull his ribs together until his whole body was like looseearth. I have done it. Sa'-zada knows that for months and months afterI came I ate nothing, and in the end they took me out on the floorthere, six of them, and shoved food down my throat with a stick.

  "Once I had run down a Barking Deer, and swallowed him, and was havinga little sleep, when I wandered into the most frightful sort ofnightmare. It came to me in my sleep that Bagh had charged me of asudden, and gripped my throat in his strong jaws. I opened my eyes infright, and, sure enough, I was being choked with a rope in the handsof the Men-kind. Each end of it was fastened to a long bamboo, and theMen were on either side of me. I made the leaves and dry wood in thatpart of the Jungle whirl for a little, but it was no use--I couldn'tget away. Also a man of the White-kind was sitting on a laid tree, andin his hands was a loud-voiced gun. But I nearly paid him out for someof the insult. They dragged me on to the road, and I lay there quietand simple-looking. He thought I was asleep, I suppose. At any rate hecame up and touched me on the nose with his toe.

  "I struck; but, though I knew it not, the rope was tight held by one ofthe Yellow-kind who stood behind me, and I but got a full choking;though, as I have said, the other, he of the White Face, was strickenwith fear.

  "They put me in a box, but though I have no appetite here, I could eatthere, and they gave me so many chickens that I shed my beautiful skinalmost monthly. I nearly died from the over-diet, not being used tosuch plenty."

  "Tell us of your food-winning in the Jungle," craved Sa'-zada.

  "Though I go wondrous swift," began Python, "yet if any of theDeer-kind passed me on foot I could not catch them. Because of this Iwas forced to take great thought to outwit them. You, Gidar, and you,Hathi, know of the elephant creeper that is in all those Jungles, howit runs from tree to tree for many a mile--so strong that it sometimespulls down the biggest wood-grower. Well, having knowledge of a Deer'spath, I would stretch my body across it much after that fashion, andthe silly creatures with their ribbed faces, always coughing a hoarsebark, and always possessed of a stupid fear, would walk right into myfolds, thinking me a part of the creeper. Once, even, as I think of it,a hunter--of the White-kind he was--ate his food sitting on a coil ofmy body as I lay twisted about a tree. To tell you the truth, I wasasleep, having fed well, and only woke up because of his sticking hiscutting knife into my back, thinking, of course, he was standing it inthe wood, when I suddenly squirmed and upset him, and his food anddrink.

  "But when it was the dry season and the leaves were off the trees, theJungle was so open that even the silly Deer could see the rich color ofmy beautiful skin, and for days and days I went hungry. Then I would goto the small water ponds, _Jheels_, and curling my tail about a tree onone side, put myself across, and catching a tree on the other side withmy teeth, swing my body back and forth and throw the water all out onthe land. Then I would eat all the Fish-dwellers, and go to sleep for aweek.

  "I WOULD STRETCH MY BODY ACROSS IT MUCH AFTER THATFASHION."]

  "Once in a land of many pigs, I worked for days and days in that partof the Jungle bending down small trees, and arranging the creepersuntil I had a _keddah_ with two long sides running far out into theJungle. Then, going beyond, I made a great noise, rushing up and down,and many of these Dwellers being possessed of fear, fled into the_keddah_ and I devoured them."

  Chita sat on his haunches and looked at Python in astonishment, his bigblack head low hung, and a sneer of great unbelief on his mustachedlips.

  "Surely this is the one great liar!" he exclaimed. "If these things benot written in the Book, then Python has most surely had such a dreamas he has told us of."

  "Without doubt it is a lie," declared Magh, "but for my part I am readyto believe anything of his kind. In my Jungle home never once did Iclimb out on a tree limb without pinching it to see whether it was woodor a vile thing such as yon mottled boaster."

  "Are the stories of Python written in the Book, O Sa'-zada?" queriedMooswa.

  "No," answered the Keeper, "but Python may have had this strange mannerof life."

  "Whether they be true tales or false tales," hissed Py
thon, "I am nowtired, and they are at an end."

  "Well," said Sa'-zada, stroking the glistening scales of the bigSnake's head, "it is time to cage up now. Perhaps we'll all havestrange dreams to-night."

  Soon the animals were sound asleep, all but Magh, who spent an hourchattering to Blitz, her Fox Terrier Pup, on the enormity of tellingfalse tales.

  Sixth Night

  The Story of the Monkeys