Gentee
And THE DEADLY SERPENT.
IN the East Indies there is one of the most dangerous serpents known in the world.
It is called the Cobra de Cappella. It is not so large as some other serpents, but its poison is most deadly. Everything bitten by it dies in a very little while. They increase and multiply so rapidly that it would be almost impossible for people to live in the countries infested by them, if it were not that God has provided an enemy to the cobra, which destroys them in great numbers.
This enemy is a little animal, called in India the Gentoos. It is something like
the weasel. It is as active as the monkey, as cunning as the fox, and yet as fierce as
the tiger. There seems to be nothing in the world which the little creature likes
better than to fight the cobra.
The moment a gentoos sees a cobra, he flies at him like lightning, and then a terrible battle takes place. The gentoos fastens its sharp teeth in the neck of the cobra;
and the cobra writhes and twists itself about, and tries to bite its enemy with its
deadly poisonous fangs. Presently it gets a chance to do this, and darts its fatal
venom into the body of its tormentor. As soon as the gentoos finds itself bitten, it
loosens its hold upon the cobra, and runs into the woods close by, where it finds a
plant, the leaves of which have the power of acting as an antidote, or healing medicine, to the poison of this serpent. He eats one of these leaves; this corrects the
poison, or renders it harmless; and then, like a brave little soldier, he rushes at his
enemy again, and never stops till he has killed him.
How wonderful it is that God should have provided this healing plant to help the gentoos in its conflicts with the cobra!
And yet God has done something more wonderful still for us. Sin is a dreadful
serpent, which we all have to fight. Its poison is of the most deadly kind. It will
destroy our souls forever, unless it be corrected. But we have a healing Tree, and
the leaves of that tree have power to heal our souls when they have been bitten by
the serpent, sin.
Children, who is this healing Tree?
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THY works, O Lord, interpret thee,
And through them all thy love is shown;
Flowing about us like a sea,
Yet steadfast as the eternal throne.
Alice Cary.
Jesus says: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
Mongoose
Mongoose is another name for the gentee and some of them live in groups while some kinds live by themselves. And they live in Africa, Asia, some of Europe and the Caribbean. Their food consists of rodents, snakes, insects, crabs, worms and birds. People like to have them for pets and to keep the pests away from the house. Mongoose make a high sounding shrieking sound at the time of breeding that sounds like giggling. The snake charmers in some countries will take them to the market place and for fun have mock snake fights with them.
