The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-01-27
TRICK OF A sNAkE-cHARMER.
How the Willy Hindoo Plays 1t on the I'm
suspeting Villagers.

How the Willy HtndoO Plays IL on the Un'
suspeting Villagers.
II can tell you something interesting
about sna kes in India" said Capt. w.
Tottenham, of the British Indian army,
to San Francisco Call reporter at the
American Exchange Hotel. Il have
made special study of snakes in that
country. As result I got at the bot
tom of the great snake charmer frauds,
and also, I think, made an important
discovery in connection with the cure
of venomous snake bites. At least, /
never failed in my experiments.
When 1 was stationed at Kurmaul,
in the northwest provinces of India, I
occupied the usual officers bungalow,
with large garden around the build.
ing. One day my servants complained
of the snakes in the garden and asked
if they might send for snake charmer.
Of course agreed.
The usual professional charmer ap.
peared AMI I consented to the usual
terms-5O cents head for each snake
caught. Then he set to work, and I
followed and watched him closely.
He went into the stable first and
commenced blowing horn. Pres
emily snake came crawling out of
hole and made towards him. He sud-
denly grabbed it by the neck and put
it into his basket. This was repeated
three times. Once he got q bite on
the knuckle. They were all cobras,
from three to four feet long, and I
watched for results.
He pulled pebble from his pocket,
mumbled some incantations over it and
then bound it over his wound. which
he showed me. 1 only chuckled. Two
things had struck me forcibly. One
was that cobras do not climb of their
own accord. They are ground snakes.
Again it struck me that he seemed to
know where to go for his snake each
time. / ordered him to catch some
more, but he declared that was all. 1
insisted on his trying round the COM
pound, and so he marched round blow
ing his horn, but no more snakes came.
Then I thought it time to turn the
tables. I paid him over the three ru-
pees and seized the basket with the
three snakes. He looked alarmed. l
sent for my sword and a block of wood.
He asked me what I was going to do.
I told him the snakes were mine by
right of purchase and I was going to
cut off their heads,
He fell on his knees and writhed at
my feet, as only Hindoo can, implor-
ing me to have mercy upon him. /
consented to give him back his snakes
if he would make clean and open con-
fession to me. He did so.
What do you suppose the rascal told
me? He said it was their custom in
the trade to go out at the proper season
and hunt mother cobra with her
brood. They kill the mother and cap
ture the fifteen or twenty little five-
inch snakes which constitute the brood.
These are too young to be harmful.
They then pull out the two eye-teeth,
which are the fangs that kill.
Then they set to work to train the
snakes. They feed them on a basin of
milk and blow this horn when feeding
time arrives. After three or four
months the snakes get to understand
the signal and come from all parts of
the room to feed at the basin. By this
time they are grown up to decent size
and all ready for business.
THE charmer goes round the night be-
fore and plants his snakes in different
places.
Next day he approaches the premises
casually and offers to rid the place of
snakes at so cents head. Invariably
his offer is accepted, as you can under.
stand. Then be goes and blows his
horn.
The snakes, which are all starving
with hunger, promptly come to the we'll
known call for food and then he catches
and pouches them,
mo one wants snakes, particularly,
and his humble suppications to take
away snakes for tanning purposes is in
variahly assented to by the good.
natured Anglo-Indian. In the course
of week he makes good deal Of
money"