The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-09-24
THE SNAKE CHARMERS.
A TRAVELLER DESCRIBES SOME OF
THE THRILLING SIGHTS OF TUNls.

Tambourlne-A Disgusting out TcrriDie
scene-A Couple of wild, Weird Look
ing Bedouins--A Scared Crowd.
A few days after my arrival in Tunis
there came to the street in front oil my
hotel one of those famous serpent charm
ers which we read so much about, but SO
seldom, IL ever, see. He was large black
Ethiopian, of a forbidding appearance,
bareheaded, burly limbs and body scarcely
concealed by dirty bernouse. He had with
him a rude tambourine, or drum-head,
covered with the rawhide of some wild
animal, and a black leather bag, the mys-
terious contents Of which were soon to be
revealed to me. Seeing that l was watch
ing him with some curiosity, he at once
squatted down upon the ground and COM
menced operations. Untying the bag, he
pulled out dozen or more venomous look
ing snakes of different species, measuring
from three TO six and seven feet in length,
which lie threw down in the middle Of the
middle eli the street, where they lay for
moment in a torpid state as If benumbed
with cold Throwing the bag at dis
lance che Ethiopian caught his tambou-
rne, AID, jumping to his feet, commenced
dancing circle around the reptiles, at the
same time beating his rude instrument
and singing wild song-that would have
done credit to a North American Indain.
The snakes began at once to show signs
of life by pricking up their heads and
darting out their forked tongues in an an
CRY manner. Several commenced gliding
away in different directions as If to es-
cape, but the negro who still kept up his
wild music and dancing, would keep them
in the circle by pushing them back with
his naked feet. Seating himself once
more on the ground, in the midst of the
crawling reptiles, he caught them in his
lap and commenced playing with them as
child would with so many Kittens let
them crawl over him, up his back and
over his shoulders. They would Irvine
themselves around his legs and arms, and
crane their ugly looking heads around
into his face as If to scan his features
Standing erect once more, with a quick
movement, he shook the snakes upon the
ground, and catching up two of the larg-
est made turban of them around his
head, tied two or three of the smaller ones
ones around his neck for q cravat and two
savage looking fellows were wound
around his body for belt. Having pro-
ceeded thus far in the adjoining of hfs per-
son, he finished his decorations by sus-
pending a five or six-foot Ornament"
from each side of his head by fastening its
fangs into the lobes of his ears, and, in
like manner, suspended one from his nose
and one from his protruding tongue.
The sight of the serpent charmer, like
the NEUROLOGICAL Medusa that guarded
the gates of Hesperides, was now not only
disgusting but terrible to look upon. He
was almost entirely enveloped with the
squirming reptiles, whose angry heads,
with glistening eyes and forked tongues,
were standing out from his body in all
directions, Throwing piece of Tunisian
coin at the serpent charmer's feet, was
about to turn away from the sickening
spectacle when the man motioned me with
his hand, as much as to say, "Wait a
moment" christening the snakes, which
were still clinging to his nose and tongue,
he tossed one upon the ground, and the
head of the other he inserted into his huge,
wide, open mouth, as If he was in the act
of swallowing it whole. This was more
than my already trembling nerves could
stand, and beat a hasty retreat, fully
satisfied with what / had seen of snake
charming.
COUPLE OF FAMOUS CHARMERS.
few days after this, however, while
walking in the suburbs of the city with
the interpreter of the English legation, we
came across crowd of Arabs and Be-
douins who were witnessing some kind of a
performance or show that evidently was of
intense interest Pushing our way through
the crowd as best we could to see what the
attraction was, we found another seance
of snake charming in progress, this time
presided over by two wild, wierd looking
RpHDninQ w IN Ia inf INF a
ne were the most famous snake charmers
ia the regency of Tunis. The ground in
front of them was literally covered with
snakes, of larger and evidently of q
fiercer species than those of the Ethiopian
Several of them, the interpreter informed
me, We're very venomous, and one of the
Bedouins, sin a wild, incoherent speech
was eneavoring to impress the fact upon
his audience, and also that their poisonous
fangs had not been extracted. Picking up
one OF the largest and most savage look.
ing, he would hold ii at arms length and
tantalize 1t until it would spring back and
fasten It's fangs into his face or some part
of his body. Dropping it, he would then
draw out from under his bernouse small
box OF ointment and apply 1t to the
wound, which he claimed. removed all the
poisonous effects.
BY the time he had finished this part OF
the entertainment, the crowd of Arabs had
largely increased, and had 80 far en-
croached upon the open space or ring
where the show was being held that there
was scarcely room for the snake charmers
to move about. To make the crowd fall
back, one Of the Bedouins adopted quick
and most effective temedy Grasping the
ugly fellow from the ground that had Just
been exhibiting its savage nature and ven
omous fangs, and which must have meas
ured eight feet in length, he commenced
running around the ring and thrusting its
angry head into the frightened faces OF
the spectators. The snake was standing
out in horizontal line, and the Bedouin
was holding it about two-thirds the dis
lance from the head. AS it came near the
Arabs, II would spring at them with its
wide, open mouth and its eyes flashing
fire in most diabolical manner
One tall Arab, who was on his knees
leaning forward, intensely watching the
performance, not getting out of the way
in time, was seized by the savage reptile
which fastened its fangs into the hood OF
his bernouse, in close proximity to his
nose. The poor fellow, thinking he hat
received his death wound, commenced
bowling and yelling in manner that
must have frightened the tigers in the dis.