THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 1 39 



it. At that time, Dr. \V. Jameson ( now superintendent 

 of the botanical garden at Saharunpore ) was on a visit to 

 Lahore, and the maharajah showed him great attention, 

 which induced me to inform the maharajah of the offer 

 made by the faqueer, and I requested him to relate the 

 case to Dr. Jameson, as I felt sure he would be interested 

 in it. 



As for myself, I doubted the truth of the faqueer's as- 

 sertion, and was persuaded that no European physiciaa 

 would believe it. Accordingly, I was directed to pressent 

 the faqueer to the doctor, who was at that time stopping 

 at AnarkuUee. To test the experiment, I took a fowl 

 with me. The doctor smiled, when I related to him the 

 particulars, and, as I expected, expressed his disbelief of 

 the faqueer's statement. However, the faqueer put his hand 

 over the pot in which the viper was contained, and he was 

 immediately bitten ; he afterwards held the fowl near the pot, 

 which was also bitten \ but the doctor still appeared to think 

 there was some deception in the matter. I took the fowl 

 home, and placed it beneath a basket, where I found it dead 

 on the following morning ; although the faqueer, who was 

 bitten first, was quite well. I then took him, and also the 

 dead fowl, with me, to present them to the maharajah ; and 

 having given him a full account of what had been done, 

 informed him that both the faqueer and the fowl had since 

 been under my surveillance. At his request, the faqueer 

 was presented to him. He was accompanied by a mezur 

 ( workman ), who had just caught a viper, which the faqueer 

 had put into the same pot in which the former had been, 

 and presented it for the inspection of the assembly, 

 Maharajah Sheer Sing asked him whether he would really 

 allow himself to be bitten by venomous serpents, and 

 whether it was true that he would not thereby sustain injury ? 

 The faqneer answerd in the affirmative, and offered to give 

 immediate proof of it. He uncovered the pot, and was about 

 to present his hand, but the maharajah objected to the 

 serpents which the faqueer had brought with him, and said 

 that he would order soooe to be procured, He banded to 



22 



