Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-01-30
Curious Facts About India.

I promised to tell you something
about our first experience with the
maidstone as an antidote for cobra bite,
and will. A fortnight ago there wan
dered into our present secluded COM
pound juggler of striking appearance,
indeed. he was evidently a Rajpoot,
for his complexion was swarthy, he
wore his beard and brushed it from the
center OF the chin each way after the
Rajpoot fashion, and his shining ebon
hair hung in heavy tresses to his shout
ders. He had two baskets of snakes,
and carried stout staff in his right
hand. A Hindoo gentleman, who hap.
pened to be calling at the moment,
recognized him as the cleverest snake
charmer in Bombay, SO we made him
welcome. as you may believe. His first
care was to hand me to read o number
OF certificates from former patrons, tes-
tifying to his cleverness as a snake
catcher; among them one from rich
Parsee, who certified that the bearer,
Bichu Nath, had captured and removed
two cobras from his grounds at Lenow-
lie. This looked well.
Bichu Nath, through an interpreter,
explained that he would first play upon
his vagoudah, or pipe, and then pro.
duce for us a cobra from any corner or
spot, inside the bungalow or in the gar
den, we would indicate. So, throwing
off the cotton wrap that he wore over
his shoulders, and leaving upon his
person no other covering than his dhoti,
he took his gourd instrument of music,
and began to play. It was unexpected
~ sweet and smooth in tone, and really
seemed quite calculated to exercise an
attractive influence over serpent. But
no wriggling ophidian came from his
hiding place to Irvine about the charm
er's GEOGRAPHICALLY, 1 suppose, for
the reason that we have none in our
neighborhood. Bichu Nath looked
hither and thither as though waiting for
them, and then shook his head to sig
nifty that the service rendered to the
Lenowlie Parsee would not have to be
repeated here. He then turned his
back to Us, as if for decency's sake, and
unwound and held out his dhoti, to
show that there was no chance to hide
anything about his person, had he so
desired; and then, readjusting the
dhoti, grasped bis long staff, and stole
stealthily toward the spot outside the
bungalow where we had told him to
produce his first cobra. He was at the
moment Almost artistic figure, with his
swart, spare body, in which the muscles
were shar u defined; his thick snit of
glossy hair shaking in the wind, and
his outstretched hand clutching the
stall. He was repeating to himself in
half tones what seemed to be a men
tram, and glided forward by long
strides, IN panther-like way, much as
an American Indian is supposed to do
Wien IN the vicinity of an enemy. We
ali left the veranda and followed him !;
L close after his heels, so that might
watch for tricks. When at the chosen
spot he made sudden stroke forward
with his stick, and the next instant
there was veritable cobra discaDello
on the ground, erect on its coil. with
head extended, and Kissing at us. Our
first thought was to run, but as 1 saw
the mans naked foot and leg within a
loot OF the creatures fangs, and he not
dlscomposed in the least, concluded
that tae danger was more appare Mt than
real, SO / did not bulge. By dex.
trous movement the charmer caucht the
reptile just under its head, and sliding
his thumb up under its jaw, held it firm
ana fast, though it wrapped it's coils
about his naked arm, and wrigglei to
free itself.
he carried this snake to lis baskets.
and slipped it in, whereupon he re.
turned to our group and went through
the same performance again. This
time he produced much larger and
finer snake than the other one at the
loot OF banana tree as requested,
We then adjourned to large room
ii one OF the bungalows, where the
Ra!poot appeared to make a cobra drop
ont OF towel that hung on nail; and
having by this time satisfied our curl.
oslty for this branch of his art. he
- ied ~ 70 bring chicken, so that we
might be satisfied that the snakes had
io' had their fangs drawn. While a
want was gone in search of the fowl
Tie man grasped the last cobra, and
opening Its mouth by squeezing If
under the lower jaw, and pressing a
splinter Of wood transversely against
The zygomatlc muscles, to proven, the
Jaws from closing, showed us its large
needle-pointed fangs. Once. when Dr.
d. I. Trumbull, of Hartford. philo-
logic and librarian, was describing to