Page:Life's Handicap - Kipling (1891).djvu/288

 der bickle-bottle, und der natif woman she shqueals.

"Herr Gott! It will bite." I said—pecause in Uraguay a man must be careful of der insects—"Reingelder shpifligate her in der alcohol und den she will be all right."—"Nein," said Reingelder, "I will der shnake alife examine. Dere is no fear. Der coral snakes are mitout shting-apparatus brofided." Boot I looked at her het, und she vas der het of a boison-shnake—der true viper cranium, narrow und contract. "It is not goot," said I, "she may bite und den—we are tree hoondert mile from aferywheres. Broduce der alcohol und bickle him alife." Reingelder he had him in his hand—grawlin' und grawlin' as slow as a woorm und dwice as guiet. "Nonsense," says Reingelder. "Yates haf said dot not von of der coral-snakes haf der sack of boison." Yates vas der crate authorité ubon der reptilia of Sout' Amerique. He haf written a book. You do not know, of course, but he vas a crate authorité.

'I gum my eye upon der Sherman Flag, grawlin' und grawlin' in Reingelder's fist, und der het vas not der het of innocence. "Mein Got," I said. "It is you dot will get der sack—der sack from dis life here pelow!"

Den you may haf der snake," says Reingelder, pattin' it ubon her het. "See now, I will show you vat Yates haf written!"

Und mit dot he went indo his dent, unt brung out his big book of Yates; der Sherman Flag grawlin' in his fist. "Yates haf said," said Reingelder, und he throwed oben der book in der fork of his fist und read der passage, proofin' conglusivement dot nefer coral-snake bite vas boison. Den he shut der book mit a bang, und dot shqueeze der Sherman Flag, und she nip once und dwice.

Der liddle fool he haf bit me," says Reingelder.