Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-06
USEFUL SNAKE STONE.
charmer Who was Bitten by Cobra
Got Rid of tho Poison.

charmer Who was Bitten by Cobra
Got Rid of tho Poison.
One Sunday morning two Indian
snake -charmers came to my small
bungalow at Hanwella," says a writer
in a Cingalese newspaper. They had
three snakes with them and proceed
ed to make them dance as usual
stopped them and told them had seen
all that before, and asked them wheth-
er they could compel a wild snake to
dance and, if so, whether they could
catch one for the purpose. One or
them expressed his willingness to do
so. Ten days previously 1 had chased
cobra of the species called by the
natives a "Tom-tom beater," |. e., the
black cobra with red spectacle mark
on it's hood. The Cingalese, I believe,
think that they are the reincarnation
Of low caste natives, hence the name.
1t is certainly fiercer and more active
than the common brown cobra.
"I had noticed at the time it had
taken refuge in an ant-hill near the
edge of the paddy field which formed
one boundary of the new clearing upon
which my bungalow stood, and situat-
ed about 200 feet from it. l led the
charmer to this ant-hill. When l as
sured him that a snake almost certain
" occupied the hole he squatted down
opposite to it and started blowing into
reed pipe which gave a sound sim
liar to that of a bagpipe. After
long time, and when had almost CIV
en- up the idea of the snake being there
still, the cobra protruded its head
about an inch out of the hole in order
presumably to see what was going on.
The charmer pounced upon it, and
seizing the head of the snake between
his thumb and two fingers so that IT
could not open it's mouth he pulled
it out of the white ants nest and
brought it to the bungalow
He then tried to make it dance by
holding a small piece of white root
above it's head. The snake tried to es-
cape several times, but was brought
back again, and ultimately was induced
to dance with it's hood extended
Il then asked the charmer what he
would do if he happened to get bitten
by a wild snake. He told me that he
did not mind it, as he had a medicine
which would certainly prevent any i'll
effects. l then, more as a joke than
anything else, promised him fve
rupees If he would allow himself to be
bitten by the snake he had just caught,
fully believing that he would not at
tempt it. But before l could stop MIN
he had seized the snake by the neck
and had thrust the forefinger OF MS
right hand deep in it's mouth, and when
he withdrew it there were two pune
lures on each side Of the second joint.
Both punctures were bleeding signify.
He handed the cobra to his COM
panion, who Immediately shut him up
in the snake basket, and the charmer
at once took out from his waist-clotn
piece of charred bone, we'll known as
the snake stone, which he applied to
the two punctures. He then waited
for some minutes, and l could see the
veins on the back Of his hands stand
ing out like knotted strings. After a
couple of minutes or so the stone drop
ped down, and he told me that he had
extracted all the poison; and calling
for a small cocoanut shell full of milk
he put the stone into it. In moment,
after a considerable amount of bub-
bling, there came to the surface GER
tain amount of an oily looking liquid
pale straw in color."-New York World.