The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-21

An Indian Fakir Charmed q Big Cobra On
of His Baraboo Couch.

An Indian Fakir Charmed q Big Cobra Out
of His Banboo Couch
New York Recorder.
There are few men in this city at present
who are as full of interesting rem iniscence
as Magician Kellsr. He is man OF deep
thought an untiring student of all that Is
curious In nature. profound thinker ana
q scientist, though humble In his own es-
TEEN. who has mastered more of occultism
than any other man of the century.
He Is o my sterous individual at best but
IT you can get him ont OF shop and away
from the thester entirely You will find him
the most interesting man 20 talk to thae
you can find in days journey.
Mr. Kellar has mace many journeys
around the world and has visited all the
civilized and seIni-cIvilized nations. He
has learned many of the secrets of their
necromancers and conjurors but there are
some which proved too deep for him to
fathom. and In at least one instance he not
only failed to detect q coDjurors trick. but
was so thoroughly frightened by it that he
shudders to this day when he thinks of it.
Chatting with the writer few days ago
he brought to mind an adventure which
befell him In India. The conversation had
drifted INTO the subject of international
magic when the incident popped into his
mind. and he related il just as it happened
In 1888
India he said, lis the loveliest country
In the world to travel through. 1t is q land
u
disc of indolent luxury. Life there Is o
dream of pleasure. and so perfect is the
service which one may obtain for q tritiing
outlay that breathing Is about the only ex-
ertion one is actually compelled to do for
ones self.
Il had been in India number of times.
and had visited all the principal cities.
when. in 1883. found myself in the pretty
city of Lucknow. The site is q most beau
tiful one. the palaces and grand buildings
nf thn N<,bo ,o6o NJ n ~ afr r.
ures. and the easy mode of life is particu-
larry refreshing to q tired and nervous Eu-
rOpesn or American.
IL had been In the CITY long enough to
have acquired the ennul OF the people, and
was falling easily into their listiess, luxur-
ious ways. when, one morning, this adven-
ture befeli me. and caused me to at once lose
all that sense of serene and peaceful quiet
that had before possessed.
You know that In lndia In the summer
season il is too hot TO sleep upon mat.
tresses or under much bed clothing. In
my room in the neat little bungalO where /
was stopping had bamboo couch. with
out a mattress. and my only covering was
linen sheet. had rested there in CON-
fort for many nights. and was just abont to
arise one morning when q HindOo fakir en-
tered the door.
He was tall, lank, solemn visaged In.
dividusl, and salaamed profoundly as he
entered. sat up on the edge of my cot to
get good look st him, and asked what he
wanted. He looked at me an instant ana
then slowly drew from his breech cloth o
small reed pipe.
"'Hesp big snake In Sahib's bed he
CALCULATED In the same calm, unruffied
manner.
"'onake In my bedv yelled, as bounded
to the floor with visions of writhing, hiss
ing oobras in my mind. Snake! Wherer
=" In Sahib's bed, heap snake the rogue
replied. IS he slowly released q small
earthen ware pot or jar from his girdle.
Then he Slaced the reed pipe to his lips and
proceeded to extract from IL the most pain
full music i ever listened to. Serpents
galore would have been welcome if that
music could have been banished, thought.
but as l watched the bed my entiments
underwent q rapid change.
'In the middle of the couch, underneath
the sheet, l saw something moving. Tho
sheet became elevated in c0nical form,
and there was q kissing and splitting IN
derneath it that made my blood run cold.
Then there emerged from the edge of the
covering the shiny horrible head of mon
ster cobra that wasn't an inch less than
eight feet long, and slowly slid from the
bed and cOiled himself upon tho floor.
stood looking at him with my eyes bulg-
ing with terror.
THE dolefui, seductive. plaintive strain
of the pipe continued and the head of the
monster slowly arose to q level with the
cot. His hood began to swell. and he
showed every sign of intense anger. The
weird music grew faster and faster. and
the oscillating motion of the serpent's head
kept time to 1t. The little pipe shrieked,
and the fakir was perspiripg from every
pore. HIS eyes were bullying from his head
and his foot was keeping dOu bic time TO his
piping. Shriller and more penetrating
grew the notes. until of a sudden they
became again plaintive and sad; the
time was slower. the notes sweet and bar
monious. The motions of the monsters
head were slower aud slower. and then the
fskir's hand stole quickly to his side. A
sword leaDed out. there was q flash. q CLINT
of steel and the cobra's head rolled upon
the floor while the dismembered body
thrashed itself about the apartment
staggered TO the door. almost overcome by
nervous strain and the ordeal was over.
The muttered 'bucksheesh' of the faklr was
generously responded to. you may be sure,
and be left my bungalo. leaving only the
severed head and body of the cobra as re-
minders of the scene through which l had
passed.
How was it done' / don't know.
never knew whether that sooundrel brought
the snake IN with him or not but while he
was playing saw him crOwdlDg another
cobra. as big as the first, into that little
earthen pot which he carried at his girdle."