202 LEAVES FROM THE 



a box for stowing away a set of Brobdignag chessmen, 

 drew off the cover, thrust in his hand, and pulled out a 

 large long naia haje. After handling it and playing with 

 it a little while, he set it down on the floor, half squatted 

 close to it, and fixed his eye on the snake. The serpent 

 instantly raised itself, expanded its hood, and turned 

 slowly on its own axis, following the eye of the young 

 Arab, turning as his head, or eye, or body turned. 

 Sometimes it would dart at him, as if to bite. He exer- 

 cised the most perfect command over the animal. All 

 this time the old Arab stood still, pensively regarding the 

 operation; but presently he also squatted down, mutter- 

 ing some words, opposite to the snake. He evidently 

 affected the reptile more strongly than his more mercurial 

 relative, though he remained motionless, doing nothing 

 that I could see but fixing his eyes upon the snake, with 

 his face upon a level with the raised head of the serpent, 

 which now turned all its attention to him, and seemed 

 to be in a paroxysm of rage. Suddenly it darted open- 

 mouthed at his face, furiously dashing its expanded 

 whitish-edged jaws into the dark hollow cheek of the 

 charmer, who still imperturbably kept his position, only 

 smiling bitterly at his excited antagonist. I was very 

 close, and watched very narrowty; but though the snake 

 dashed at the old Arab's face and into it more than twice 

 or thrice with its mouth wide open, I could not see the 

 projection of any fang. 



Then the old Arab, who, it was said, had had the gift 

 of charming serpents in his family for a long series of 

 years, opened another box, and took out four or five great 

 lizards, and provoked the naia with them, holding them 

 by the tails in a sort of four-in-hand style. Then the 

 youth brought out a cerastes, which I observed seemed 

 overpowered, as if, as the country people say, something 

 had come over it. He placed it on the floor, but this 

 serpent did not raise itself like the naia, but, as the 



