Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1910-10-20
A Willy ORIENTAL
Guile Of a Tricky Native Snake
Charmer In India.
GATHERED IN THE sERPENTs.

II Was No Trouble to Him to Lure the
Reptiles Into His Basket, and the
Supply Was In No Danger Of Giving
Out and Losing Him Q Job. !.
Among the numerous Objectionable
and dangerous creatures peculiar to
the orient none Is more repulsive than
the snake One shudders lnvoluntarily
MS one thinks Of Its wiggling body and
vicious characteristics. During my
residence In India never felt safe
from Its presence. I had my closets,
bed and even my bathtub searched ev-
cry day lest one should be found coiled
up In some corner. writes Eliza X.
Van Bergen in the Christian lntelli.
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 II
stick was always near at hand lest
might find one unawares and be un-
prepared to meet 1t. even looked
upon my thin mosquito curtain as
slight protection, for 1t would at least
break its fall should q snake tumble
down suddenly from the ceiling.
The creatures have a decided pref
erence 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 l started out to say, my
garden was infested with snakes. and
l was persuaded to have a native
charmer summoned to lure them
away. His hideous occupation. weird
incantations and strange pets sur
round the snake charmer with Pc
cuiar fascination. His magnetism
and skill are considered phenomenal
In the east,
This specimen was tall and lank and
had deep. cavernous eyes and an abb
stracted air. Some Of the creatures
were coiled around his wrist. which
made him still moro repellant. He
handled them as IL they were per
fectly harmless. About the neck he
wore chain with I Cute attached
Two other jugelers accompanied him.
similarly attired. but minus the
snakes. One carried . closed basket
on his arm.
He stopped at a respectful distance
to make his "salaam." which Is the
customary salute Of the country. Then
he approached the aloe hedge which
inclosed my grounds. sAuatted himself
tailor fashion on the grass and began
to produce weird. plaint1ve 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 stealthily out from
the hedge toward the spot where 1T
heard the chanting 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 a basket ready to receive
them as soon as they unwound them
selves. AT least a half dozen APP
peared and were disposed of in this
manner After being captured they
appeared as II In stupor.
Horrified with his performance.
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 uncnnny tune. His compan-
ions gathered up the rest Of his be-
longings 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
begnn to suspect some ttickery. He
refused to allow the snakes to be kill
ed. insisting that they were sacred and
must not be put to death. It looked
as II he replaced the snakes in the
hedge after removing them. and thus
he multiplied their number and In
creased his gains.
I was finally forced to have him re-
moved by the police and threatened
with punishment in order to keep him
away. Nothing would persuade me 10
permit one of the fellows to enter my
premises again.