248 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



carefully removed previousl}^ Sleight-of-hand work being their 

 profession, they invariably find it an easy matter to withdraw one 

 of the concealed snakes and surreptitiously place it in the spot 

 desired. Then the charming begins and the snake is discovered. 

 These snake charmers often have allies who place a snake in the 

 spot required prior to the advent of the charmer. 



When a snake charmer is kept under careful and close scrutiny, 

 these snake-charming operations fail. A gentleman tells how 

 he detected one of these men. Raising a great noise he declared 

 to his Indian servants that a Cobra was in his study. He sent a 

 messenger to the village snake charmer to come immediately and 

 charm out the snake. He arrived in due time and began opera- 

 tions by playing upon his pipes at intervals, and poking about 

 amongst the furniture. Suddenly he began playing \'igorously 

 in a corner of the room, near some bundles of books and magazines 

 on the floor. From amongst them the head and neck of a Cobra 

 reared itself. The gentleman advanced and flourished a stick, 

 pretending he was anxious to kill the reptile. The charmer 

 interfered and barred the way, declaring that he wanted to capture 

 the snake and keep it alive. He was firm in his refusal to permit 

 tlie gentleman to advance. Then, stooping down, he began 

 blowing his pipes again, and the instant the Cobra reared he seized 

 and transferred it to a bag amidst the horrified exclamations of 

 the Indian servants. Needless to say the alarm was a bogus one. 

 The snake was one which had been secretly dropped by the charmer 

 when he was fussing about the room on his hands and knees. 



When one becomes familiar with the habits and ways of snakes, 

 and if due care is exercised in handling them, there is little real 

 risk of being bitten. For twenty years past I have freely handled 

 snakes, and have only been bitten a few times, but the bites have 

 never been full ones. Naturally one is apt to become careless 

 when frequently handling snakes, and so reasonable precautions 

 are neglected. 



To those more or less unacquainted with snakes, these reptiles 

 are regarded with extreme horror, and the most ludicrous beliefs 

 are entertained in regard to them ; so much so, that any one 

 handling venomous snakes freely, and apparently in a careless 

 way, is thought either to exercise some hypnotic power over the 

 creatures, or else he is taking appalling risks. Snake charmers, 

 knowing this, take advantage of it. The traditional love of 



