The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-07-16
Oriental Snake Charmers.

The Oriental has an inexhaustible
appetite for entertainment, and pro-
vided it can be seen for nothing. and
sitting. he will squat all day before
puppet-show. That the exhibition in
| question is stale one matters nothing,
and the same performer is therefore
| certain of welcome as often as he
chooses to come. This partially ex-
| plains the extraordinary popularity of
the SNAKE charmer's entertainment, for
though Judged on its own merits, it
has little i'll it either to arrest attention
or to evoke admiration, the tubri-wal-
lah's performance at all times an in
terested audience; for, of all the many
castles or tribes which pretend to power
over the serpent world, the Sanyis, or
tubri-wallahs, constitute the chief In
dian snake charming guild. He is, as
a rule, wild-Iooking creature-the
snake charmer-with his yellow cloths
all tluttering about him. and his hair
arranged in Il strange confusion of coils
and wisps. under and among rags of the
same color-the professional hue-as
he struts into village, piping on reed
stuck into a gourd. while his assistant,
small, unkempt morsel of humanity,
labors i'll his wake. with IA box of mys-
terles and basketful of wonders.
Arrived at the we'll, the couple seat
themselves and the villagers collect to
see the show. But first the performer
has to insure some payment-a meal
and nights lodging, at least this
arranged sati ,factorily. the proceedings
begin. The same stupid old toothless
cobra is hustled out of its basket, picked
up and propred a hundred times, as if
it was dangerous thing;and then, with
boisterous ostentation of pluck and
dexterity. finally seized 10y his neck,
half throttled and thrust back into his
bag. This wonderful feat, enacted over
and over again with precisely the same
business and pantomime, constitutes
the first part of the entertainment, and
then the wonder worker proceeds to
charm" The old cobra, sick to death
of what it has come to consider ill-timed
foolery, is once more jerkel out from
the bag and while the magician plays
on his execrable pipe the poor, battered
reptile lifts a foot of its length off the
ground. and, distenling its hood, sways
gracefully to and fro in time with the
music. The master now requires no
stick to keep his pupil at work, for it is
evident that the cobra enjoys the me-
lody. and that its motions are volun-
tarily and naturally sympathetic. But,
except as an illustration of the power
of music over the dreadful thing, the
second part of the entertainment is as
dull as the first.
There can Ie no doubt, however, that
the terrific power given by nature to
the most iutellig Mt, with extraordinary
inters st: and any performance that re-
quires the handling of them must have
corresponding excitement for others
besides native villagers. In his fearless
manipulation uf the deadlieat species,
the tubri-wallah has certain claim to
respect--tlIe same claim as nave all ex-
hibitors who, for the entertainment of
their audience trifle with sudden death.
Yet, as regards the supernatural power
they profess to have over the creatures
which they torment and play with,
there is hardly another imposture-even
in the East, the home of impostures-so
inadequately supported by performance.
The parade of fangiess worms is absurd
enough, and in the never-failing crop Of
reptiles to be gathered by the pipe
player from among the furniture of .
room or the shrubs in a garden, there
is only food for laughter. Ihl Robin
son.