92 A BOOK-LOVER'S HOLIDAYS 



streaked with white, and on each of them the 

 upper part of the face was painted black and 

 the lower part white. Chanting, and stepping 

 in rhythm to the chant, and on one particular 

 stone slab stamping hard as a signal to the 

 underworld, they circled the empty space and 

 for some minutes danced opposite the line of 

 antelope priests. Then, in couples, one of each 

 couple seizing and carrying in his mouth a 

 snake, they began to circle the space again. 

 The leading couple consisted of one man who 

 had his arm across the shoulder of another, 

 while this second man held in his teeth, by the 

 upper middle of its body, a rattlesnake four 

 feet long, the flat, ace-of-clubs-shaped head 

 and curving neck of the snake being almost 

 against the man's face. Rattlesnakes, bull- 

 snakes, ribbon-snakes, all were carried in the 

 same way. One man carried at the same time 

 tw^o small sidew^inder rattlesnakes in his mouth. 

 After a while each snake was throw^n on the 

 rock and soon again picked up and held in the 

 hand, w^hile a new snake was held in the mouth. 

 Finally, each man carried a bundle of snakes 

 in his hand, all so held as to leave the head free, 

 so that the snake could strike if it wished. 

 Most of the snakes showed no anger or resent- 

 ment. But occasionally one, usually a small 



