The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1910-11-11
A Willy ORIENTAL
Guile of a Tricky Native Snake
Charmer In India.
GATHERED IN THE SERPENTS.


Reptiles Into His Basket, and the
i Supply Was In No Danger of Giving
Out and Losing Him a Job.
Among the numerous Objectionable
and dangerous creatures peculiar tt
the orient none Is more repulsive thar
the snake. One shudders involuntarily
as one thinks of its wiggling body and
vicious characteristics. During my
residence In India I never felt safe
from its presence. / had my closets
bed and even my bathtub searched ev
cry day lest one should be found coiled
up In some corner, writes Eliza K
Van Bergen in the Christian 1ntelli'
gencer.
was always on the watch for the
creatures and ever in mortal terror of
treading on one. 1t never occurred to
me to sleep without light, and a
stick was always near at hand lest
might find one unawares and be un-
prepared to meet it. I even looked
upon my thin mosquito curtain as a
slight protection, for it would at least
break Its fall should a snake tumble
down suddenly from the ceiling.
The creatures have decided pref
crence for cool, damp places and often
choose the bathroom and sometimes
the tub for their habitation, much to
the discomfort Of its rightful habitue
1t Is not unalloyed bliss to live In a
place infested with serpents. With
such formidable enemies, one never
forgets to be cautions, nor to guard
against their presence and sudden at
tack. 1t makes one alert to be In the
midst of danger and adds spice to life.
Well, as / started out to say, my
garden was infested with snakes, and
was persuaded to have a native
charmer summoned to lure them
away. Ills hideous occupation, weird
incantatlons and strange pets sur
round the snake charmer with a Pc
cullar fascination. His magnetism
and skill are considered phenomenal
In the east. =
This specimen was tall and lank and
had deep, cavernous eyes and an alb
stracted air. Some Of the creatures
were coiled around his wrist, which
made him still more repellant. He
handled them as IL they were per-
fectly harmless. About the neck he
wore chain with flute attached.
Two other jugglers accompanied him,
similarly attired, but minus the
snakes. One carried closed basket
on his arm.
He stopped ut respectful distance
to make his "salaam," which is the
customary salute Of the country Then
he approached the aloe hedge which
inclosed my grounds, squatted himself
tailor fashion on the grass and began
to produce weird, plaintive sounds on
the flute, to which music the reptiles
entwined themselves around him and
seemed to sway their bodies to and
fro.
After some time a snake appeared,
gliding slowly and steathily out from
the hedge toward the spot where 1t
heard the enchanting music. The
charmer allowed 1t to come quite
close and to wind itself around his
arm. Another followed and yet an
other, while the other two men stood
by holding basket ready to receive
them as soon as they unwound them
selves AT least q half dozen ap-
peared and were disposed of in this
After being captured they
appeared as If In n stupor.
Horrifed with his performance, I
begged him to stop and bade him
leave the place. He assented and,
picking up the basket, departed with
the snakes without ever ceasing TO
play his uncanny tune. His compan-
ions gathered up the rest Of his be.
longlngs and followed him. paid
certain sum for each snake thus dis
patched.
He came repeatedly thereafter and
went through the same performance,
conjuring up more reptiles and dispos.
Ing of them in the same way until l
began TO suspect some trickery. He
refused to allow the snakes to be kill.
I'd, insisting that they were sacred and |
must not be put to death. 1t looked
rs II he replaced the snakes In tho I,
hedge after removing them, and thus
ne multiplied their number and in
creased his gains.
was finally forced to have him re-
moved by the police and threatened
With punishment in order to keep him
lway. Nothing would persuade me to
,ermit one of the fellows to enter my
,remlses again.
Ananly 0ualiE;aJ