88 A BOOK-LOVER'S HOLIDAYS 



curiously calm throughout (except for a moment 

 at a time, about which I shall speak later). 

 Then the two men who stood near the snakes 

 stooped over, and each picked up a handful 

 of them, these first handfuls being all rattle- 

 snakes. It was done in tranquil, matter-of-fact 

 fashion, and the snakes behaved with equally 

 tranquil unconcern. All was quiet save for 

 the chanting. The snakes were handed to two 

 of the men squatting round the bowl, who re- 

 ceived them as if they had been harmless, hold- 

 ing them by the middle of the body, or at least 

 well away from the head. This was repeated un- 

 til half a dozen of the squatting priests held each 

 three or four poisonous serpents in his hands. 

 The chanting continued, in strongly accented 

 but monotonous rhythm, while the rattles were 

 shaken, and the snakes moved up and down 

 or shaken, in unison with it. Then suddenly 

 the chant quickened and rose to a scream, and 

 the snakes were all plunged into the great bowl 

 of water, a writhing tangle of snakes and hands. 

 Immediately afterward they were withdrawn, 

 as suddenly as they had been plunged in, and 

 were hurled half across the room, to the floor, on 

 and around the altar. They were hurled from 

 a distance of a dozen feet, with sufficient violence 

 to overturn the erect thunder-sticks. That the 



