268 



A CHAT WITH A SNAKE-CHARMER. 



" WILL the Huzoor see the snakes ? Many snakes ; 

 snakes from Raipore, Bilaspore ; snakes from the 

 hills, and snakes from the plains ; snakes of all 

 kinds. Yes, the Sahib is right ; we are humbugs. 

 I am a poor man, and I must talk for my stomach. 

 I have nags (cobras), and I have kraits. I have 

 the swift dhamna (whip snake), and I have the 

 deadly, yet tiny, bingraj (the sand viper, the most 

 deadly of all snakes). No, Sahib, I have not the 

 raj nag (king-cobra), nor have I got the bandpost. 

 I see the Huzoor understands about snakes, since 

 he asks for the rarest of all snakes, the raj nag 

 and the bandpost. I have seen the raj nag, but I 

 have never had one myself. They are useless for 

 our purposes, as they are too fierce and cannot 

 be tamed. The bandpost also is hard to keep, 

 as it lives on bees, and where am I to get bees 

 all the year round ? Yes, the Huzoor is right ; 

 the bandpost stings with its tail and bites with its 

 mouth, and both are deadly. Have I seen it 

 sting anything ? Yes, I have seen it sting a dog 

 that went near to smell it after its head had been 

 broken, and the dog died. The Huzoor does not 



