Why was the peon instrumental in the snake incident with Mirikar, and how was the snake discovered?

While Mirikar was completely engrossed in reading the newspaper, a snake soundlessly coiled itself on his upper cloth. As described in Chapter 22, a "sur-sur-sur-sur" sound was heard, but no one suspected a snake. However, the peon's mind was not distracted. He became curious about the source of the sound, as his "mind was carried away by waves of imagination." Prompted by this curiosity, he lifted the lamp slightly to investigate, which is when he saw the snake. He then panicked and softly shouted, "Snake! Snake!" alerting the others to the terrifying situation.