POISON-SNAKES. 215 



his hands two baskets, one containing tame Snakes, 

 the other empty : these, and his musical pipe 

 were the only things he had with him. I made 

 the snake-catcher leave his two baskets on the 

 ground, at some distance, while he ascended the 

 mound with his pipe alone. He began to play : 

 at the sound of music the Snake came gradually 

 and slowly out of his hole. When he was entire- 

 ly within reach, the snake-catcher seized him 

 dexterously by the tail and held him thus at arm's 

 length; whilst the Snake, enraged, darted his head 

 in all directions, but in vain : thus suspended, he 

 has not the power to round himself, so as to seize 

 hold of his tormentor. He exhausted himself in 

 vain exertions; when the snake-catcher descended 

 the bank, dropped him into the empty basket, 

 and closed the lid : he then began to play, and 

 after a short time, raising the lid of the basket, 

 the Snake darted about wdldly, and attempted to 

 escape ; the lid was shut down again quickly, the 

 music always playing. This was repeated two or 

 three times ; and in a very short interval, the lid 

 being raised, the Snake sat on his tail, opened 

 his hood, and danced quite as quietly as the 

 tame Snakes in the other basket, nor did he 

 again attempt an escape. This, having witnessed 

 with my own eyes, I can assert as a fact." 



Fatal accidents, however, sometimes occur to 

 the professors of the psyllic art, for there are 

 still to be found " deaf adders," " which will not 

 listen to the voice of the charmer." " In Madras," 

 says a writer in *' Chambers's Miscellany," " this 

 belief [in the powers of the charmers] received a 

 sad shock by a circumstance that occurred. One 

 of the most noted serpent-charmers about the 



