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abounds with ordeals; the bitter water of chastity, and many 

 similar trials in the sacred page, prove their prevalence among 

 the Jews. 



As his guardian genii the snakes could not protect Harrabhy 

 from the hands of justice, so neither could they always save their 

 mortal form from destruction: for the greatest enemy the serpents 

 have to encounter is the little mongoose, (viverra Ichneumon Lin.) 

 an animal of the weasel kind, in all respects the same as the ich- 

 neumon of Egypt; they destroy rats, mice, and other vermin, but 

 seem most inimical to serpents; on which they dart with an in- 

 conceivable agility. I was informed at Anjengo, by many eye- 

 witnesses of the fact, that on the mongoose being wounded by the 

 serpent, he immediately retired, and ate of a certain herb, which 

 proved an antidote to the poison; after which he returned to 

 his antagonist, renewed the combat, and generally gained a 

 victory. The ichneumon destroys the eggs of the serpents, 

 and providentially has the same propensity for those of the 

 crocodile, which the female deposits on the banks of the Nile; 

 for which reason this little animal, with more reason than can 

 be assigned for the bean or onion, was worshipped among the dei- 

 ties of the ancient Egyptians. 



My garden at Baroche was not only frequented by Harrabhy's 

 genii, but by a variety of other serpents, green, blue, scarlet, and 

 black, and by one shaded with every varied hue in a Turkey- 

 carpet; for that reason called the carpet-snake. They never 

 molested us, nor did I ever hear of an accident there; indeed I 

 believe very few of them are venomous. 



Our gardens produced abundance of fruit and vegetables; and 



