The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-07-07
Snake Charming in India.

The following story of snake charming has
been sent to Us by a correspondent, who is
making sketching tour through some of the
States of Northwest India
One morning was strolling with friend in
the veranda, when we saw strange figure
coming along the drive; tallish man in a
scarlet turban-0nly unlike the usual solid
turban, 1t was wound serpentwse about his
head-a Kind OF loose, flamecolored shirt a
loin cloth, and the ordinary peaked shoe Of
! the Easterns. Across his shoulders he carried
a stout bamboo pole between five and six feet
long, at either end of which hung two bags of
coarse woven cloth, eolored less vivid flame
color. AS he came up TO US we saw he had
long black hair, twisted up like woman's.
and secured at the lett side by heavy silver
| comb, whose back was chased in strange pat
terms and shaped like a curve in a snakes
body. In his ears were delicate earrings of
silver, set with small green and red and white
stones in fioWer4like shapes on his forehead
was the red mark of the Hindu; across the
bridge Of the nose, between the eyes, there
was black and scarlet line drawn that looked
! like a fine silk ribbon, and similar ribbon
ran from the outer corner of each eye to the
| temple. His face gave you the impression of
his having been alive since the flood; his eyes
looked as if they could not shut; yet he had
not 2 Wrlpkle ana vas evidently young. His
nails his feet were strong and shapely, too
| My friend said "This man will show you
some fun for few coppers." So he was had
upon the veranda and the play began He
opened his bags, sat down on his launches
and proceeded to unpack. The bags contained
each large wicker, or rather bamboo lath
basket and nondescript bundles of many col
ored cloth The latter contained tin box full
of live and lively scorpions, some necklaces
~ ctr Icfn e j
supposed to be cures TOR scorpion bites, round
black substances like small shining 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 floor of the veranda. If am not
quite sure if he showed us two or one at first, |
for he has been here many times since. At
any rate he took a cobra out, let it squirm
about on the floor, then he produced from
his bag weird pipe made of gourd and |
shaped like bagpipe The lower part be- |
low the belly, is pierced with holes on which |
the fingers play. With his pipe he began the |
most goblin rant that eyer was heard the |
cobra ceased writing about, and gradually |
raised itself on its coils, swelled out its hood |
and slowly waved its awful head to and fro in /
front of the music, as if it saw the music
Suddenly the music made wild, leaping yell |
anu was nOI; tuo COBRA n6au sank down,
his hood shrunk into nothing.
The demon snake man then remarked,
pointing to a pig boy, a servant OF my friend
II will bring a cobra out of that boys cap.
The boy had on close fitting porkpie hat, 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 boy like visible thing, but the
boy stood firm. Suddenly again the music
stopped and the man began to take off his
drapery. He appeared for moment al nat
uae, and there wasn't ghost of snake about
him. He shook out all his clothes-no snake.
He wrapped his loin cloth around him and
began again his devils dance and his soul
killing pipe.
Not once from first to last did he approach
his baskets or the cobra which lay sleeping in
the sum- He came up to where l sat, and
took a small paint rag of mine; he put it on
the boys head, and then shook it out and
gave it back to me. q told you the boys cap
fitted tight to his head, and his head was
shaved9 On went the whirl and yell, and, as
before, stopped suddenly with heaven as
cending shrek. He stepped up to the boy,
and with his naked hand plucked out-where
from Pa 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, Kissing heavily l sat
still and laughed. He laid the new cobra by
the old one, put both in the basket, opened
up all his clothes and baskets and things
there were two cobras now, and no more
Then he took my paint rag, laid it down
against pillar of the veranda and went
through the same music. When the mu-
sic was exhausted he went to the rag and
plucked out third cobra, which also greeted
me in friendly WISE There were three now
we saw them all, but my friend said: "This
won't do; he'll fill the place with snakes"