Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-06-22
Snake Charmers.

Some years ago, when Cairo sthe Cairo
of the Arabian Nights" and not the disre-
putablc-looking second-ratc French country
town it is now. we inquired for any possible
successor to the old snake charmer whom
old Anglo-Indans may remember to have
seen playing with his cohras before Shcp-
herds Hotel WAS he not at the Zoo in the
wonderful year 1851, and did he not prompt
ly decline, without thanks. our offer oftwo
or three lively capellos then in the collcc-
tion?) After some trouble we lighted on q
tllrtive Arab caititl, in the usual long blue
shirt, girded about the waist to form the up
per part into a species of splcuchan or spor-
ran. In this he seems to keep his dirty pipe
his packet of frousty tobacco, and whatever
small portable property he had acquired
more or less honestly. With him we re-
sorted to divers ancient stables and outbuild-
inss in the suburbs and coniured him to
find a snake. Placing a small wooden pine.
between his lips he tootlcd quantity an old
Arab air, now low, but hardly soft, and now
high and loud. Thus he wandered, tootline
and furtivc, and we following and expect
ant. At last, arriving ut an old half dark.
evil-smcling stable he appeared to get ex-
cited, gave vent to still wilder squeaks and
squalls, circled round and round under big
palm tree BEAM and at last, with an car
splitting note, he squatted suddenly down.
dashed his hand apparently upward. and
clutched II big cobra, which he evidently in
tended us to believe had been charmed from
above. say apparently, for | am certain
that he lost the brute out of the bosom ofhis
blouse. Now this was very pretty. but
hardly satisfactory; so. instead of giving our
clarmcr "lackshccsh" (having Il man in authnri-
ty among us.l we promised him bastnaln if he
did not capture snake in the open Very limp
| about the loins and very yellow did that Arab
catiil show through his brown skin. but We were
| relentless. "Cobro or Tollo." and 81 he searched
with the greatest carc-not to find what in fact.
| he did not want to find. At last one of us spcd
the tail Of Il good-szcd Suakc protrudng from
some unnamahlr rubbish 'Now my friend. catch
lis that snake. or'-Hc tootrd not-thc or had
taken the music outof hm-and overcoming with
visible effort his sliuddrring horror. he caught
the tail i'll one htiul and rapidly ran the other up
! the hol v till he reached the neck. Pinning this
| between his finger and thumh he caught up the
tail of his blouse. and forcing the brute to close
| his jaws upon 1t. tore it out rapidly. again and
again, evidently with the intention of tearing ont
! the poison tangS which he did at last to certain
| extent to his own satisfaction: but he was wary
TO the end, and. instead of putting it into his
pouch with his old friend hr knottcd il I'M in 4
rag And so he went his way and We went ours
with gentle feeling that if we had been done
! We Were to Il certain extent aware of the fact
| BY the way. unless my memory has utterly given
! way to my imagination, | distinctly remember
seeing in 1851 the cobra striking and drawing
| blood from the arms of the old Arab snake.
charmcr and his clever boy Many wonderful
things he did. such producing catalcptic
/ rigility in the snake. easily removed is pro-
durcd--things l should like to scc agln-Th,
! London Ficid.