New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-10-22
Arab serpent Char1saers.

These performers cOgsletSu OF scfSu 1rAf f5ttil-
dad Arabs from Ainad. = sewn lying one huaared
and three leagues to the east OF HareD.e Six Of
| them were playing upon fIfes when We came PIP q
but, on being requested Arel-I5oah. ts
exhibit their serpents to usF they consented with
alaerity.
Having made their arrange n,ents, allseyen COM
meneed BY putting up their aanns as 20. y noialng
addressed to Sdner All ssers NE patron of snake
charmers. This myoeat ion hsisheds the SIX nusl-
clans took their Suites and began 70 play-.thes
chief charmer spinning with gseat velocity, ~ 3
kind Of a wild dance ind the palm-Ieaf basket
covered with goatskin, in whiel the reptiles were
kept.
hand into the basket, DIRE W ont of It an asp, or
busks, which he #hirled bout, twining and NM
twining i until it locked lik A bTaid of gTeensli,
yellow silk He then wreat he'd ths serpent round
his head, like turbsn, dane Ing all the time while
the reptile remained where e had placed It, ap-
pearing to accommodate itsc to the movements
The asp was then placed up on the ground, from
which il reared itseH perpen. dcula:ly1,the posi-
| tion Of attack taken by It fhen its haunts are
fnvadedwayng its body from right to Left in time
with the music Of the flute.
\ Then the dancer, wheeling ma ,re ana more rap
idly in diminishing circles, again plunged big hand
into the basket, and again drew frona u success
4 sively four horned Fipers or le faas: These rep
tiles, iiveer and less docile tht ln the asp kept
themselves half coied mp, with t cir heads slanting
| forward ready to strike, as the " followed, with
i cleaning eyes, the motions Of he charmer, on
whom they darted with open jaws when lie came
within reach launching their bodie With.wonder-
full swiftness, while the tails appear ed as if fixed to
the ground, and then again winding themselves
into Coils #5s s,.s.z Vi esT s..sss
sauts upon his bare legs, the yipers appearing TO
impregnate the garment with their venom. He
then seized one Of them behind the head, dancing
{ round and round, and calling in loud yoioe upon
Opening the powerful elastic jaw of the reptile
| with stick, he showed us its fangst from which
! oozed Whitish oily substance Then he held bis
dnaE
upon which lie redoubled his contoft9ns, aGif in
an agony of pain, calling all the time upon Sidns
Aisser the reptile still continuing to strike, until
he withdrew his arm and showed rs the blood
q trickling from IT.
/, Replacing the viper on the ground, the cliarmer
now applied his lips to the wound, squeezng it be-
, tween his teeth, and still keeping up his dance,
while the flutes went faster and faster, until at
5 length he stopped froom sheer exhaustion.
As was confident that this man was an arrant
juggler, and that the poison had been extracted
from the reptile, asked him to let me handle il.
q Art thou serpent oharmer ~ asked the Beni-
sehidda, hast thou faith implicit in the power Of
Sidna AsserY'
Neither the one nor the other,t replied I.
g Should the serpent strike thee, then, thy hoar
is come,'' rejoined he. Bring hither q hen, or
some other living animal, and will prove the trath
Of my words
Unfortunately for itself, a wretched cat hap
pened to be at hand. 1t was brought to the
charmer, who caused the viper TO strike # imme-
diaely after which poor puss fell into commissions,
which lasted for q few seconds, staggered about
for moment, and then fell stf and dead, soon
after which its nose and eyes assumed blueish
tint. g4 ia s{
need scarcely add that this experiment. cured
me OF my frantic desire to play with the horned
viper.
, Of these facts speak from ocular experience. !.
but although have Investigated the matter closely,
1 have never yet met with any person Hko could
i PROFOUND satisfactory theory upon the subject
1have applied to the charmers themselves, and to
the people about them, offering money in exchange
for their secret, but invariably with the same
result.
IF we die not from the bite of the serpentsi'
they would say, with appearance OF mperfnr-
bable faith, 'Itis owing to the protection of Sidna
/ Aissern
Superstition alone can satisfy the Arab for this
curious fact of the snake eharmers To me, who
am not given to the supernatural, it seems that
these men must possess knowledge Of certain
herbs, the juice OF which neutralizes the effects of
the venom and that they hold this remedy in their
mouths while sucking the wound, thus obtaining
results usually produced by excision
/ ton. This suggestion give for what it is worth.
TI4ifein the Desert.