The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-15

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| -
orchard, that to him the finding of vipers
was an easy matter. Kullan proceeded TO
| search for some other snakes
| Cropping for Snakes in a Well.
| Presently he came to an old dry WELL
| che of those wide stone masonry struc-
| lures so commonly found around Delhi
| which were constructed generations ago
| in the time of the Mogul emperors. He
| looked into il for a few moments, and then
asked one of the jail officials to take off
| his 'puggree," or turban. and let him
down into the well 1t was only about
| ten or twelve feet deep At the bottom
| kullan remained for a few minutes, exam
| lining the earth most carefully.
He peeped into every crevice and corner,
and pushed his stick into many holes
| Eventually he howled, Send me down a
| ghara, some one, will you?"
The ghara was let down attached to the
| end of turban. Then began a most ex-
| citing spectacle. Kullan was to be seen
| at the bottom of the we'll, inserting his
| hook gently into hole between two stones
and then jerking it out again. At last
with one of the outward jerks, he man
aged TO bring out about four or five inches
OF the tail end of a dark-colored snake
which he grasped at with his hand The
snake was, however, too quick for him.
| and withdrew itself before Kullan could
| seize II. The contest commenced again
and eventually Kullan managed to get a
! grip on the serpent's tail, and in another
instant was dangling large kerait in his
| left hand. Every time the creature tried
| 10 raise its head 10 get at the fingers that
| grlpped its tail and suspended il the man
| gave 1t jerk and knocked the head down
| again. He then lowered the head gently
| down into the mouth of the ghara, and the
snake being only too anxious to get out of
slght ana harms way, began to coil itself
| up inside the vessel, Kullan meantime
slowly lowering the tail till the reptile had
vanished. A bit of rag was then tied over
the mouth of the vessel
kullan could no doubt have found many
more snakes that morning in the Jail gar
den but time would not permit.
Let lis now return to the laboratory and
witness the process of venom extraction
from the hundred-odd venomous snakes
the three snake-catchers had brought
Ku;len had taken four large cobras
from their receptacles by gently placing
his hook round the thickest part of their
bodies, and drawing them slowly out He
threw them on the ground in front of him.
Each snake Immediately raised its head
to its utmost hight, spread out it's hood
and, facing the intrepid snake-catcher, be-
gan to hiss furiously, its beady eyes flash
ing and its forked tongue darling inces-
sanity in and out of It's mouth.
Petting Cobras.
The creatures were on the defensive but
not one of them attempted to strike at
the master who sat so serenely in front
of them so long he did nothing 90 an
noy them. He talked 10 them as il they
were his dearest friends After a time
one or another of them would lower its
head, collapse It's hood and begin to try
and wriggie away, whereupon Kullan
would give it smart little rap on the tail
with his stick and bring it instantly to
attention again. Whether this man pos
sessed any special magic spell over these
cobras, or whether the description given
below of how he could handle and play
with them was simply due to his method,
l cannot say. He himself repudated the
idea of magic, and asserted positively that
any one who had the necessary nerve and
dexterty could do exactly the same. He
used no reed instruments or music of any
kind to propitiate the reptiles. He would
simply squat on his launches in front
of them and after they had been kissing
and swayng their uplfted heads back
ward and forward for a few minutes he
raised his hands above their heads and
slowly made them descend till they rested
on the snakes heads. He then stroked
them gently on the back of their necks,
speaking all the time in the most endear-
ing of Hindustani terms. The serpents
appeared spelbound. They made no eff
fort 10 resent the liberty. but remained
quite still with their heads uplifted, and
seemed to rather enjoy 1t. Presently his
hands would descend down the necks,
about three inches below the heads, his
fingers would close loosely around the
necks, and he would lift them off the
ground and place them on his shoulders.
The looseness of the grip appeared to be
the main secret. The snakes, being in no
way hurt, would then slowly crawl
through his fingers and wind themselves
round his neck, his shoulders, and his
arms. They appeared 10 realize that no
harm was to be done them, and made no
further effort to resent the handling. He
would pick them gently off one arm and
place them on the other, and, in fact,
stroke them and pet them as if they had
been a pair of harmless worms.
On one occasion he made the oalooker's
blood curdle by taking up large black
cobra by the neck and placing its held
toward his open mouth. The inclination
Of these snakes is to crawl quietly out
OF sight into the first hole they can ind
and so the reptile began to crawl into his
mouth He waited his opportunity, and
then suddenly closed his teeth firmly on
the serpent s head. This, 1t is needless
10 saw was violently resented by the
snake. but 1t was power%ss for harm.
ard could only show It's indignation by
desr crate wriggling of its body, while the
man maintained a firm grip of its head
between his teeth. at the same time let
ting both hands drop to his side. After
a few seconcs he seized the snake firmly
nv the neck and released its head from
between his teeth.
He never had the smallest difficulty or
hesitation in Selling any cobra by the
tail.
Extracting the venom.
A cobra when thoroughly reused TO anger
IS by no means the same gentle creature
as those | have just described, which al
lowed the man 10 handle them with impu-
nifty. He is now a most formidable beast
40 approach, striking out desperately at
every moving thing within and even out OF
bia reach But even in this condition Kul-
ian mad no difficulty in SELLING the largest
81 cobras. He would hold up and shake
a rage IN his left hand. On this the in
furiated reptile would rivet It's gaze.
with his right hand from behind, the man
would then suddenly seize it round the
neck, about three inches below the head