Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1886 — INDIAN JUGGLERS. [ARTICLE]

INDIAN JUGGLERS.

Their Tame Cobra* Not Always Deprived of Their Pot non Teeth. , : ■ . It is a mistake, ! writes George Augustus Sal a, to think that the snakes are always harmless which are brought round to house doors and hotels in India by the jugglers aqd natnp-ivnl-Itthn. An almost •universal opinion exists that these inen extract the poisonfangs from the serpents kept in their ' baskets, ‘ and that anybody may approach and play with: them as freely aa their exhibitors. This is by no means the case, amd many of the reptiles which hiss and coil al>out in the Indian verandahs are as deadly as any to l>e ) found in the jangle. These people tame ' and familiarize their snakes, especially the cobras, which are then disinclined to strike, and become quite playful and friendly; so that, unless suddenly frightened or irritated, they dart at the hand of the-snake-charmer without erecting the poison-fangs or even opening their months. It would, however, he different and very dangerous if a stranger trifled with some of * these basketed serpents, and the samp* wallah s themselves occasionally fall victims to the recklessness or confidence with which they handle their captures. The maharajah of Benares was kind enough to send the entire company of his palace jugglers for our entertainment. They performed with much adroitness the usual series of Hindoo tricks. They made the mango-tree bear ripe fruit from a seed, swallowed fire and swords, disentangled inextricable knots, and, having mixed together in water and drunk up three powders, red, green, and yellow, one of them brought what seemed the same powders forth from his mouth in a dry state again. Then they produced a large selection of snakes, of which three were cobras, and one of them was made to dance to the gourd and bansula, striking again and again meanwhile at the hand of the performer. A doubt being expressed by somebody as to the lethal power of this creature, the chief juggler declared it was truly a dant-wallah, and had his poison teeth. “If the ,s ah6b log would supply a sheep or goat, they might quickly see whether he spoke a true word. ” Eventually a white chicken was produced, and seizing his cobra by the neck, the juggler pinched its tail, and i made it bite the poor fowl, which uttered a little cTv when the sharp tooth punctured its thigh. But, being replacedjon the ground, the chicken began to pick up rice with unconcern, apparently uninjured. In about four minutes, however, it ceased moving hither and thither, and began to look sick. In two minutes more it had dropped its beak upon the ground, and was evidently paralyzed, and unable to breathe freely. In another minute it fell over on its side, .and was dead with convulsions within ten minutes after the bite. At Palilanpur, the snake-charmer for whom we sent to catch a serpent, said to be infesting the compound, hod just died by a bite from one of his own captive snakes.