Sharp County record., 1881-07-28
Snake Charming in India.

no mas 0eeu sent 70 Us OT CORE
sDondent who is makinga sketching tour
through some Of the States Of northwest
India:
One morning l was strolIing with
friend in the Vernauda where we saw
a strange figure coming along the drive;
a Callish man, in a scarlet tUrban-Only,
unlike the usual solid turban, it was
wound serpent wise about bis head; q
kind Of loose, fame-colored shirt; 4 loin
cloth and the ordinary peaked shoe of
the Easterns. Across his shoulders he
carried q stout bamboo pole between
five and six feet long, ut either end Of
which hung two bags Of coarse woven
cloth, coLOred q less vivid hame-colOr.
As he came up to Us we saw he had
long black hair, twisted up ike awom-
ans, and secured at the left side by a
heavy silver comb whose back was
chased in strange patterns and shaped
like a curve in a snake body. In his
ears were delicate earrings of silver, set
with small green and red and white
stones in fower-Iike shapes; on his
forehead was the red marx Of the Hin
doc; across the bridge Of the nose. be-
tween the eyes, there was a black and
scarlet line drawn that looked like afne
silk ribbon, and q similar ribbon ran
from the outer corner of each eve to the
temple. His face gave YOU the impress
sion Of his having been alive since the
food: his eyes looked as if they could
not shut, vet he had not a wrinkle, and
was evidently young. His hands were
beautifully shaped with delicate nails;
his feet were strong and shapely, too.
Nv friend said: This man will show
you some fun for a few cOppers." So
he was led up on to the veranda and
the play began. He opened his bags,
| sat down on his launches, and proceed
ed to unpack. The bags contained each
a large wicker, or rather bamboo lath
basket. and nOndescript bundles Of
many-colored cloth. The latter eonz
tanned q tin box full Of live and lively
scorpions, some necklaces Of strange
gray and red stone, pieces Of wood sup
posed to be cures for scorpion bites.
round black substances like small shin
/ inc buttOns-these are snake stones, and
/ if laid on a cobra bite are supposed to
/ cure it.
| The baskets contained also a large
cobra apiece. He took out the two
cobras and laid them on the stone floor
Of the veranda. l am not quite sure if
he showed Us two or one at first, for he
/ has been here many times since. At
anv rate, he took o cobra out, let it
squirm about on the floor; then he pro-
/ duced from his bag a weird pipe, made
of a gourd and shaped something
like a bagpipe. The lower part, below
the belly, is pierced with holes on which
the fingers play. With this pipe he be-
Gan the most goblin rant that ever was
heard; the cobra ceased writhing about,
and gradually raised itself on its coils,
sweILed out its hood, and slowly waved
/ its awful head to and fro in front of the
music, as fit saw the music. Sudden
" the music made a wild, leaping veil
and was not;n the cobra's head sank
down and his hood shrunkinto nothing.
The demon snake man then re-
marked, pointing to a big boy, a serv-
ant of nv friend. Il will bring a cobra
out of that boys cap The boy had
on a close-htting, pork-pie cap. his head
was shaved and the rest OF his clothing
consisted of shirt. The man then
took his pipe and began to walk around
the boy; then on a sudden the air was
rent by a melody such as might soothe
the damned; it whirLed around the bov
. like a uisihln thing, but the bOv stood
firm. Suddenly again ~ n,usio
stopped. and the man began to take off
his drapery. He appeared for a moment
AL uatUrgi, and there wasn't the ghost
of a snake about him. He shook out
all his clOthes-no snake. He wrapped
his Ioin cloth around him and began
again his DEVILS dance and his sOul-kilL
ing pipe.
Not once from first to last did he ap
proach his baskets or the cobra whicL
| lay sleeping in the sun. He came up
to where sat and took a small paint,
rag Of mine; he put it on the boy sheai
and then shook it out and gave it back
to me. q told you the cap fitted tight
on the boys head. and his head was
shaved.) On went the whirl and yell,
and, as before, stopped suddenly with a
/ heaven-ascending shrek. He stepped
| up to the boy and with his naked hand
piucked out-where frOm2 "a great
cobra. which he flung straight at me.
The brute struck me on the shoulder,
and went shuddering down my leg,
where it subsidized on the ground. hiss
inc heavily. | sat still and laughed.
He laid the new cobra BY the old one,
put both in the basket, opened up all
his cloths and baskets and things-there
were two cobras now. and no more.
= s-G47 4TG e005 TUT PANT Tag, Iaiu II
down against a pillar of the veranda,
and went through the same music. When
the music was exhausted he walked to
the rag and plucked out a third cobra,
which also greeted me in a friendly
wise. There were three now; We saw
them all, but my friend said: This
won't do; he'll till the place with
snakes. Pal Mall Gazette.