Year: 1869

President. 3a ~ ~


Story Ofa Snake Charmer.


Du Chaillu, in his last book about
Africa, says;


One day witnessed fearful scene.
A man, a native Of 0Oree, an island on
the coast Of Senegambia, who had the
reputation Of being a snake charmer,
and was then at the GabOol, had sue
ceeded in capturing one Of these large
naja. ( He was a bold man, and prided
himself on never being afraid Of any
snake, however venomous the reptile
might be; nay, not only was he not
afraid of any of them, but he would
fight with any Of them, and get hold
of them.


JIhad often seen him with snakes in
his hands. He was careful, of course,
to hold them Just by the neck below
the head; in such manner that the
neck could not turn on itself and bite
him. fZ " 'eil


uFhat day he brought into large
open place, PERFECTLY bare of grass, one
Of these wild naja that he had just
captured, and was amusing himself
by teasing the horrid and loathsOme
creature when I arrived. 1t was Q
huge one. I, i-'ls- I'i1s ttif


Most of the people ofthe village had
fed, and those natives who, like my
sell, were looking on, kept a long way
off. Not a MpOngwe man, not a single
inhabitant of the whole region ] have
explored, would have ever dared to dc
what the Goree man did.


Two or three times, as the snake
craWled on the ground, we made effiH
the opposite direction with the utmost
speed, myself, / am afraid, leading OF
in the general stampede, though. l had
provided myself with a gun.


1t was perfectly fearful, perfectly
horrid and appalling, to see that man
making a plaything of this monster
laughing, as we may say, at death, fol
it could be nothing else, thought.


At first when / saw him he had tho
snake around his body, but he held il
firmly Just below the neck, and could
see by the muscles of his arms that be
had to use great strength. AS long as
this part of the body is held firmly the
snake loses much of its great power Oi
crushing one to death, as the boa con
strictor or python does with large ami.
mails, and as small snakes do with
smaller game; but with this naja the
danger would have been the yenOmOuS
bite. m ff,


Then with the other hand he tool
the tail OF the snake, and gave it 6
swing and gradually unfOlded the rep.
tile from his black body, which was
warm and shining with excitement
but always holding the head. On asud
den he threw the snake on the ground
Then the creature began to craw
away, when suddenly the GOree man
came in front of it with light stick
and instantly the monster erected
itself almost to half its full length
gave q tremendous whistle, which we
all heard, looked glaringly and fiercly
in the mans face with its sharp
pointed tongue out, and then stood
still as if it could not move. The Go
rec man, with his little stick in his left
hand, touched it lightly, as though to
tease it. 1t was fearful sight-and il
he had been near enough, the snake
would, no doubt, have sprung upon
his antagonist. The man, as he teased
and infuriated the snake with the rod
he held in his left hand, drew the at
tentiOn of the reptile toward the stick
then suddenly, and in the wink Of an
eye, almost as quick as lightning, with
his right hand he got hold of the crea-
ture Just under his head.


The same thing that I have just de-
scribed again took place. The snake
folded itself round his body; then he
unfolded the snake, which was once
more let loose, and, now this hOrrid
serpent got so infuriated that as soon
as he was thrown upon the ground he
erected himself, and the glare OF his
eyes was something terrible. 1t was
indeed an appalling scene; the air
around seemed to be filled with the
whistling sound of the creature. -I


Alas! a more terrible scene soon
took place! The man became bOldeI
and bolder, more and more careless,
and the snake probably more and
more accustomed to the mode of war
fare; Of his antagonist, and just as tho
monster stood erect the man attempt
ed to seize its neck as he had done
many and many time before, but
grasped the body too low, and before
he had time to let it 90, the head
turned on itself and the man was bit
ten IL was perfectly speeehless, the
scene had frozen my blood, and the
wild shrieks of all those round rent
the air. The serpent was loose and
crawling on the ground, but, before il
had time to 90 far, long pole came
down upon its back and prose IT
spine, and in less time than i take @
write il down the monster was dead.


no fifn Frenah doctor who had
charge OF the little colony the man
went (happily he was just at hand);
all the remedies were prompt and
powerful; the man suffered intensely
his body became swollen, his mind
wandered, and his life was despaired
of; but at last he got better, and,
though complaining of great pain
near the heart, he was soon able to 20
out again. A short time after this ac-
cident, having an ak in his hand, go
ing. as he said, TO cut wood, he sud
denly split his own head in two. He
had become insanei