Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1875 — Snake-Charming in India. [ARTICLE]

Snake-Charming in India.

A very curious case was lately reported in an American newspaper of a snake charming a boy. I will now give you an account of a snake-charming operation in the East Indies, which came under my own observation, in which case a man charmed the snalfes, the number of snakes affected upon which occasion, as well as the death-dealing powers of the reptiles, making the case a notable one. Some time after a servant of mine had died of the bite of a cobra, being in the neighborhood of Attock, on the banks of the Indus, when visiting some Hindoo temples in the vicinity, I met a worshiper named Mean Raj, who applied frequently to the officiating fakir, or priest, for deliverance from a plague of cobra snakes which infested a plot of ground belonging to him to such a degree that his servants were unwilling to labor upon it, especially as most of them went barefoot. The church failing to help him, his dosts, or friends, recommended him to apply to the charmers. This he did by seeking the services of one Mungul Deen, who avowed his readiness to coax the snakes out of their holes to their death as effectually as St. Patrick is said to have done in Ireland. I may here mention that snake-charm-ers are magicians in the East and a separate caste or class by themselves. The word “caste” throughout India denotes the particular calling to which an individual belongs. Eastern charmers or magicians are found frequently to be of the Brahmiqical or priest caste, which is the highest order, in consequence of its connection with the Hindoo religion and its mysteries. The order of Brahmins wear a string over the shoulder to distinguish them. This string, which is of peculiar construction and difficult of imtation, is conferred and placed on the ‘ body in infancy, with much religious ceremony attending the operation. Huch snake-charmers as belong to this caste wear the sacred string. Eastern charmers are nomadic m their habits, wandering over India in every direction. Like the priests they lead lives of celibacy, or at least pretend to do so. The Indian magicians appear to be a thriving class of men, content if they can only show their fellowmortals their mystical powers and gain a living. On the occasion of which I write, a sort of grand stand, composed ot wooden steps, arranged one above the other, had been erected, from which to view the operation of charming the snakes. Mungul Deen, the charmer, was a fat, middle-aged man, with intellectual countenance and sparkling eye. He wore a mustache, but no beard, which seems to be peculiarly affected by the Mohammedans. Mungul had the light, copper-colored complexion which obtains among the natives of the Upper Punjaub, in strong contrast to the coal-black hue of the natives of Lower Bengal. His dress was freely decorated with all sorts of signs, including snakes of every form and istze,~was of white linen and scrupulously well adjusted, from the becoming turban downward. Everything being pronounced ready by Mungul he first lighted a sniall fire, into which he threw something which flashed up with a blue blaze, and the fire was allowed quickly to die out. He then went fearlessly all over the snake-infested ground, distributing as he walked some sort of powder, the nature of which was known only to himself; after which he seated himself on terra firma, slinging the inevitable “tum-tum” around his neck and holding an instrument in his hand which emitted a sound when played upon very much like that of a bag-pipe. The spectators, who were natives, except myself and two gentlemen, named Harrison and Ball, who were traveling in India for their pleasure, showed their appreciation of the music by occasional howls of delight. Mungul consecrated his instruments, throwing up his arms, and then began his music with a wild, discordant air. Not a snake had been seen afe yet, hut as soon as what I may call the concert had fairly opened snakes swarmed from all sides with heads erect and hoods expanded. After awhile a large concourse of snakes, some hundreds in number, -could be seen twisting and turning on their tails to where Mungul Deen sat tumtumming and piping as unconcerned as if he were receiving visits from the doves of paradise instead of the deadly enemies of mankind. The only change noticeable in him was that he moved his head continually, as if salaaming to the snakes. At last, when a very large company of cobras was gathered round the magician, and many an anxious fear was expressed by the lookers-on lest he should be stung to death, it was apparent that lie very perceptibly changed the strain of his rude „ music from the wild, discordant sound which had marked it to a rather plaintive air, which I thought his instrument incapable of producing, judging from the previous performance. Everyone now noticed that the snakes were, in military phraseology, “ changing front to the rear upon the center” by turning round upon their tails, with heads down, and, on their bellies, winding back, as if intent on reaching their holes as fast as they had come from them. In so doing their mouths came, or seemed to come, in contact with the powder which Mungul Deen had previously scattered, and, as it seemed, on tasting it they immediately gave up the ghost, in whatever part of the field they chanced to be. The snake-charmer continued his piping for some time, afterwhichlie performed a dance that would have done honor to the Dervishes. This dance lasted about fifteen minutes, during which Mungul kept at first slowly moving his body in a circle, ujftil the movement and excitement of the dancer seemed to grow intense. His arms were raised and lowered; his head swayed to and fro as if it would come off, and at last he fell to the ground, apparently in a state of complete exhaustion. This was not so, however, for upon an attendant administering some potion from a cup he stood up and s declared the battle won and himself unscathed. The spectators then descended from their fostrum, and I can testify, as one of the party, that on inspection that ground was found to be well covered with the carcasses of dead cobras, the most deadly of the genus hydra. I learned, some time afterward, that the owner of the land, Mean Raj, was no more troubled by lm former plague; in fact, was so well content that he had rewarded Mungul Deen liberally, while bis servants «no more- refused to till the ground where the Indian snakecharmer had charmed so wisely and so well. —Edwin Wyndham Lawrry, in N. Y. World.