Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-04
A Willy ORIENTAL.
Guile of Tricky Native Snake Char
mer In India.

Guile OF Tricky Native Snake Char
mer In India.
Among the numerous objectionable
and dangerous creatures peculiar to
the orient none is more repulsive than
the snake. One shudders involuntarily
as one thinks of it's wigglng body and
vicious characteristics. During my
residence in India l never felt safe
from it's presence. l 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 Intell-
gencer.
l was always on the watch for the
creatures and ever in mortal terror of
treading on one. 1t never occurred to
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 a
slight protection, for it would at least
break it's fall should 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 it's 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.
His hideous occupation, weird incan-
tations and strange pets surround the
snake charmer with a peculiar fasci-
nation. 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 if they were perfect
ly harmless. About the neck he wore
chain with a flute attached. Two
other jugglers accompanied him. SIM
ilarly attired but minus the snakes.
One carried a 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, 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 stealthily out from
the hedge toward the spot where 1t
heard the enchanting music. The
charmer allowed it to come quite close
and to wind itself around his arm. An
other followed and yet another, while
the two other men stood by holding a
basket ready to receive them as soon
as they unwound themselves. At least
half dozen appeared and were dis
posed of in this manner. After being
captured they appeared as If in
stupor.
Mortified 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 un-
canr' tune. His companions gathered
Up the rest OF his belongings and fol-
lowed him. I paid a certain sum for
each snake thus dispatched.
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
ed insisting that they were sacred and
must not be put to death. 1t looked
as if he placed the snakes in the hedge
after renewing them and thus he null
tiplied their number and increaser his
gain.
| 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 to
permit one of the fellows to enter my
premises again.