LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 



67 



incredulity. The company stood in a semicircle, 

 and at a respectful distance. There was not much 

 difficulty in getting a front place, but those behind 

 pressed the bolder spectators rather inconveniently 

 forward. 



Standing in the open space the old Arab said 

 something to the young one, who stooped down 

 under the reptile cases on the north side of the 

 rooia, and drew out a large deal box with a sliding 

 cover, which looked like a box fyr 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 exercised the most per- 

 fect command over the animal. All this time the 

 old Arab stood still, pensively regarding the oper- 

 ation ; but presently he also squatted down, mut- 

 tering 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 fix- 

 ing 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 

 narrowly ; 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 

 ont 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 charmer stooped to it, moved in 

 a very odd, agitated manner, on its belly, regard- 

 ing him askant. , I thought the serpent was going 

 to fly at the lad, but it did not. He took it up, 

 played with it, blew or spit at it, and then set it 

 down, apparently sick, subdued and limp. He 

 then took it up again, played with it a second 

 time, gathered it up in his hand, put it in his 

 bosom, went to another box, drew the lid, and 

 brought out more snakes, one of which was an- 

 other naia, and the others of a most venomous 

 kind. 



Now there were two naias, with heads and 

 bodies erect, obeying, apparently, the volition of 



the charmers. One of the snakes bit the youth 

 on the naked hand, and brought the blood ; but 

 he only spat on the wound and scratched it with 

 his nail, which made the blood flow more freely 

 Then lie brought out more lizards of a most 

 revolting aspect. By this time the floor of the 

 reptile-house, that formed the stage of the charm- 

 ers, began to put one in mind of the incantation 

 scene in Der Freischiilz, only that the principal 

 performers looked more like the Black Huntsman 

 and one of his familiars than Rodolph and Caspar, 

 and the enchanters' circle was surrounded with 

 fair ladies and their well-dressed lords, instead of 

 the appalling shapes which thronged round the 

 affrighted huntsman at the casting of the charmed 

 bullets. The Arabs, holding the snakes by the 

 tails, let their, bodies touch the floor, when they 

 came twisting and wriggling on towards the spec- 

 tators, who now backed a little upon the toes of 

 those who pressed them from behind. Sometimes 

 the charmers would loose their hold, when the 

 serpents, as if eager to escape from their torment- 

 ors, rapidly advanced upon the retreating ring ; 

 but they always caught them by the tails in time, 

 and then made them repeat the same advances. 

 I kept my position in front throughout, and had no 

 fear, feeling certain that Mr. Mitchell, and those 

 under whose superintendence this highly amusing 

 and instructive establishment is so well conducted, 

 would not have permitted the exhibition to take 

 place, if there had been the least danger. Besides 

 this, I observed that the charmers only used their 

 own serpents, which they had, I presume, brought 

 with them ; and I confess that the impression 

 upon my mind was that they had been rendered 

 innoxious by mechanical means. 



We have already seen that the gift or power 

 of charming serpents is said to be hereditary, like 

 the alleged craft of the Dowsers, as they are called, 

 of Cornwall, who use the divining rod with success 

 in so many instances. The Arab lad, who is only 

 fifteen, but who is said to have left a wife behind 

 him in Egypt, when asked how he obtained his 

 power, stated that his father was a holy man, and 

 not afraid of serpents that neither is he afraid, 

 and that they cannot hui't him. The old man, 

 Jabar Abou Haijab, states that they belong to a 

 tribe known by the name of Rufaiah, who have 

 handed down the mystery of serpent-charming 

 from father to son for many generations, and over 

 whom serpents have no hurtful power. The 

 tribe, it would seem from the accounts of these 

 Arabs, derives its name from Rufai, a Mahomme- 

 dan saint, whose tomb is said still to remain at 

 Busrah, and to it the Rufaiah make pilgrimages. 

 It is stated to be the haunt of numerous serpents, 

 whose mouths are closed by the saint, so that the. 

 pilgrims go boldly among them without fear or 

 harm. 



The serpents which figure most prominently in 

 the performance of these Arabs are the Egyptian 

 cobra, Naia haje ; and the cerastes, Vipera (ceras- 

 tes) caudalis. A sketch of the history and habits 

 of these snakes may be deemed not misplaced. 



