Phosphor/Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
One day, while standing outside the principal hotel, I saw an Indian with a basket on his back making his way towards me.
He stopped, placed the basket on the ground, drew out a small whistle, and commenced to play a monotonous air.
Presently I saw the lid of the basket move, and protruding from under it, the heads of several snakes; the music became quicker, and forth glided five cobra-di-capellas.
I had never seen anything like this before, it fascinated me.
I could not take my eyes off the rapid movements of the reptiles.
I approached the man and asked him if the snakes still had their fangs.
He could not understand me at first, but after some little trouble, he comprehended; and showing his white teeth, nodded his head.
Here was something to while away many an hour.
Why not try and discover an antidote to the bite of this most deadly of all snakes?
I at once resolved to try and buy the snakes.
Pointing to them, and then to myself, I took out a handful of silver and offered it to him.
He shook his head, but, understanding what I wished to do, put both his hands together evidently wishing me to double the amount I had offered.
Having done so, I gave it to him, and signalled for him to lift up the basket—into which the snakes had glided when he had stopped the music—and follow me.
When we arrived at my home, I procured five large earthenware jars, into which I made him put the snakes, and covered the opening with some fine wire netting until I could get some proper cages made for my new pets.
The Indian then left, explaining by signs, that they were to be fed on mice, small birds, and flies.
I went out and found a man to make me the cages, then returned to think out my new idea. Why should I not be the man to find an antidote?
I remembered having heard of one or two cases in which men had boasted of finding it and lost their lives in consequence of experimenting upon themselves.
But, in my case, if I should have the luck to find one, I would take all precautions by first experimenting on dogs, cats, or any other animal I could procure, until I felt confident it was infallible.
And then—
Well, if I could not get any one else to perform on I would test it on myself.
If it did prove fatal it would not matter. I had no particular object in living.
Everyone I cared for was dead; and there was no soul to whom my death could cause a moment's pain.
And if after death I still had the power of reasoning, I would have the satisfaction of knowing I had died like better men before me, in the cause of science.
But now, perhaps after all, the snakes' fangs had been extracted—the Indian might have played me false.
I determined to find out.
How should I prove it? A fowl; the very thing.
Accordingly, I rang for my valet, and requested him to go out and buy me a live fowl.
He looked at me for a moment, but being a well trained servant, asked no questions, but departed on his errand, and returned in a little while with the fowl.
I took it into the laboratory where I had the snakes, and allowed one of them to bite it.
Then placing it in a box, I lighted a cigar and went for a short stroll.
On entering in about a half-an-hour I opened the door, and found the fowl dead.
So far satisfactory.
The next thing to do was to discover the antidote.
I proceeded systematically to work.
First I eagerly devoured every book I could find that in any way related to poisons.
And then, having killed one of the snakes, extracted its poison bags, carefully analysed the contents, and compared it with other poisons.
I bought up all the stray dogs and cats.
And the report getting about, my door was besieged of a morning with a crowd of youngsters, leading by pieces of string or carrying in their arms miserable dogs, and still more miserable cats, that they were quite ready to sacrifice for a small coin.
I thus had no difficulty in procuring subjects to practice upon.
Every day saw dead bodies carried from the laboratory, or the small room I had rented near it, and in which my wretched victims awaited their turn, or passed their last moments.
I worked with enthusiasm for about a month, and then, to my great delight, discovered what I was in search of.
Opening the door one morning as I was going for a walk, I found standing outside a dog that had been sent away for dead a week before.
It astonished me.
I took him inside and examined him.
Yes! there could be no doubt of it, the marks of the snake's fangs were still on his leg.
Here at last was a chance to make a name.
After experimenting some time on my animals, I was convinced the antidote was reliable.
The quantity of antidote being proportioned to the strength of each animal, I found, by administering large or small doses, I could keep my subjects under the influence of the poison for a greater or lesser period.
In two or three cases, when I could not detect the slightest action of the heart, or respiration, and the limbs were perfectly cold, they recovered in from twelve to thirty hours if left alone.
And though they at first could not use their limbs much, in a few hours they regained control over them, and seemed no worse for the experience they had undergone.
The next step, and final one, was to find a man willing to be experimented on.
Though I offered a large sum, I could not get one to take the risk. So I determined to test it myself.