The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-08-17


Of the snake remained. They then
drew back With seeming reluctance.
wiping their bloody lips with their
hands
But the excitemen. seemed TO have
produced sort Of is in the man who
hrst seized the snake, from which the
Shiekh restored him by clasping his
head with both hands and pressing i.
violently, while he again concentrated
him self on inc antations, the veins start
ing ou. on his forehead with the inten-
slty Of bis efforts In Q few moments
tbs dervish had become comparatively
calm. though for the rest Of the time
observed that be continued to twitch
and jerk couvulsively. while bis eyes
rolled wildly.
Meantime the man ASd boy who had
been pierced watched the proceedings
With the utmost concern. As it was
difficult TO believe that 70 remain with
ones cheeks skewered did not at eli
events produce feeling Of discomfort.
and as they must have been standing
tor st least . quastsr Of an hour in the
same attitude. l told the Sheikh to pull
out the skewers. This be did. in each
case preceding the sharp pull with
which he extracted them by an earnest
Invocation. When they were drawn
out their points were bloedless. while,
excepting that there was On apparent
indurstion of the cheek at the spots
through which the skewers had passed,
there was no sign Of wha. had hep
peued.
A brazier Of live charcoal was now
brought in and famed into . flame.
When it was glowing with blue, lurid
light. tho Sheikh, calling suddenly on
Allah several times. jumped literally on
the blazing mass with bis bare feet. and
stood there for nearly . minute. Then
getting down. the charcoal Was again
famed into flame. and the men who
had eaten the scorpions and serpents,
aud who had been skewered through
the checks. rushed forward. plunged
their hands into the burning ma.s and
tossed the glowing embers into their
mouths. cfunching them up with the
greatest unconcern. Meanwhile, the
smell Of burned flesh beca me unmistak-
able, which somewhat initiates against
the theory that their flesh is i'm
pcrvious to fire, though l am bound to
say that no one showed any signs Of
pain.
A light-colored man. stripped to the
waist. now came forward, armed with
curve pointed knife. about eight
inche. long and al inch broad, with q
short wooden handle, and was about to
plunge it into his abdomen. when one
of the gentlemen of our party became
90 faint and one Of tho ladies 80 sick
that they begged the Sheikh to omit
this part Of the performance. In vain
he assured us that it would be unat-
tended with the slightest pain or dan
ger; in vain the victim to be operated
upon manifested the most eagefness to
stab himself; the civilized nerves of my
friends were unequal to the shock. He
was by no means . fauatical- looking
man. this adept in the magical art. but
calm, intelligent looking person.
whose white skin gave him quite an
air of Western civilization. He showed
us q whole row Of scars extending COM
pletely round his waist, each about IA
inch long. some twenty or thirty in
number, as evidence that he was &C.
customed to the experiment; aud that
il was safe. In every case. while bear
ing a very distinct undurated mark, the
skin had healed beautifully. and he as
sur,d us that the operation was IS blood
less as the one We had already witness
ed. At least, be begged, if we would
not allow him to plunge . knife six
inches long into his stomach for our
qualification, to let him exhibit the
minor spectacle Of having q skewer. to
which an iron ball WAS attached, passed
through his throat at his windpipe and
cone out at the back Of his neck. He
showed us the bard Jumps at the lower
part Of the throat. in front, aud at the
back Of tho spine in the naps of the
neck. where former skewers Fad pene>
trated
The Sheikh was so disgusted with
the weak nerves Of our psrty that be
treated Us with . shade Of contempt
henceforth. and seemed very nearly de-
termined to 60 on With tho ceremony
whether We liked it or not.