THE POWER OF MUSIC 113 



snake-charmer keeps all sorts of them, but chiefly 

 cobras. These he professes to charm from their 

 holes by playing upon an instrument which may 

 have some hereditary connection with the bagpipe, 

 for it has an air-reservoir consisting of a large gourd, 

 and it makes a most abominable noise. As soon 

 as the cobra shows itself the charmer catches it by 

 the tail with one hand, and, running the other 

 swiftly along its body, grips it firmly just behind 

 the jaws, so that it cannot turn and bite. Practice 

 and coolness make this an easy feat. Then the 

 poison fangs are pulled out with a pair of forceps 

 and the cobra is quite harmless. It is kept in a 

 round, flat basket, out of which, when the charmer 

 removes the lid and begins to play, it raises its 

 graceful head, and, expanding its hood, sways gently 

 in response to the music. 



Scientific men aver that a snake has no ears and 

 cannot possibly hear the strains of the pipe, but 

 that sort of science simply spoils a picturesque 

 subject like the snake-charmer. So much is certain, 

 that all snakes cannot be played upon in this way : 

 there are some species which are utterly callous to 

 the influences to which the cobra yields itself so 

 readily. No missionary will find any difficulty in 

 getting a snake-charmer to appreciate that Scripture 

 text about the deaf adder which will not listen to the 

 voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. 



To these two occupations the snake-charmer adds 

 that of a medicine man, for who should know the 



