NOTES ON THE ORIGIN OF THE BELIEF IN THE BIS-COBRA. 157 
are limited to moving the upper-part of its body from side to side 
with the open hood, and this at the sound of the pipe and that of a 
small tambourine, which the country people call ‘daca’ or ‘dak? On 
the application of the juice of certain herbs to the nose, it becomes 
so drowsy that a child seven or eight years old, naked as he is, as 
T have often seen, takes it in the hand with the greatest ease and 
confidence, and does what he pleases with it. 
‘He places it round his neck asa necklace, sometimes across the 
shoulder, at others around his waist asa belt. Occasionally he puts 
its head in his mouth, trusting perhaps in the virtues of the herbs 
he has chewed. The jugglers go about in the villages with these 
tricks to make their living, but it happens sometimes that the cobra 
bites them and then it invariably killsthem. This Cobra is worship- 
ped by the Gentoos, who always rear it in their pagodas, and some 
of them rear it in their houses out of devotion ; to such kindness the 
cobra makes a return to its benefactors by killing one of their sons 
or daughters. The Gentoos say that the machine of the whole 
world rests on the head of one of these cobras, which must be of a 
very large size, but when they are asked where does that cobra rest 
its tail, they do not know how to reply. The most efficacious remedy 
against the bites of these cobras, and those of any other venomous 
animals, is the virtue, which a family of idolaters, called Man- 
drecaros, has in curing them. The members of that family, by 
‘aking a little water in their hands out of a well or a fountain, and 
giving it to drink, and throwing some on the head of the bitten 
individual, cures him infallibly. Only the males and the unmarried 
girls of the family enjoy this privilege. They cannot receive any 
remuneration for the cure. If, however, they accept any money, the 
remedy loses its efficacy. When any one of them is called to cure a 
bitten person, and he cannot attend to him personally, it is enough 
if he sends water which he has drawn by his own hands. Nor is it 
necessary that he should touch the water. It is sufficient for the 
purpose if he has drawn it by some vessel. Not long ago a descen- 
dant of this family became a convert at Margio, and after being 
baptised retained the same virtue. He was employed as an interpre- 
ter of the Margéo Church, and seeing him make such easy and 
admirable cures, I tried to examine the principle and the basis of 
such a singular prerogative, but he could not tell me anything, 
except that it was a privilege which his family had enjoyed from 
centuries immemorial. After this man became a Christian, he had 
