SNAKE CHARMER AT WORK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22985, 14 September 1936, Page 10

SNAKE CHARMER AT WORK

QUIHI MAGIC WITH A COBRA BATTLE BETWEEN SNAKE AND' MONGOOSE The Quihis are among the most interesting people in India; they are the snake charmers. They are Bengalis and constitute a caste apart. They wear high, gracefully-folded turbans and frequently silk clothes of many colours. From childhood they learn the art of charming snakes, and every good Quihi has a number of pupils. The Quihi is an important man around the Indian hotels which wish to keep their gardens free of snakes. When a cobra gets in, he is called and comes quickly with his earthen jar. He seats himself in the sand with his legs crossed, like a statue of stone. Near him stands a jar or basket, lit fat one side. Now the magical business is ready to begin. Guests from the hotel stand in a half-circle around the Quihi. Suddenly the old Bengali blows a sharp, piercing note on his flute. He faces a blooming hibiscus. Soon the head of the snake, raised high and. waving, appears among the blossoms. Again the sharp, piercing note and the snake crawls toward him, drawn like a fish on a hook. Spectators looking on are so still that one can hear the movement of the cobra’s body on the sand. HELPLESS IN THE JAR Now the old man begins to move his head and his flute becomes softer and more melodious. The cobra glides nearer, stretches itself, seems to struggle against the charm of the music. It is h hard battle, but in the end the cobra succumbs to the spell and lies helpless in the jar. The Quihi plays on and with his left hand quietly puts the lid on the ar, which he then hands over to one of his assistants. The Quihi invites us to see a battle between a cobra and a mongoose. We accompany him to his farm, which lies among gigantic rocks. There we see a large cage made of fibre, into which the Quihi allows the cobra to crawl. One of his assistants appears with a basket in which there is a mongoose. It is a small animal, spotted like a cat. It has red eyes and a tail almost as large as the rest of its body. The cobra raises its head for a moment as the mongoose slips into the cage, then lies down again quietly. The little mongoose plays with a nut and rolls it into the very jaws of the cobra. Any second the head of the snake may dart at the little animal, but the mongoose goes on without giving it a glance. He jumps about, now here, now there, hops over the snake, disappears in a little branch, reappears and vanishes again. A MYSTERIOUS PLANT The like a flash the mongoose flies at the cobra, once, twice, three times—a short, sharp battle. Now the mongoose lies on the floor, breathing heavily. The old Quihi shoves some leaves into the cage near the mouth of the mongoose, and he snaps at them. The cobra raises its head high. Another moment and it must have the mongoose in its jaws, its poisonous fangs tearing his body. But before it can strike, the mongoose is on its neck. The cobra falls back, its length writhing heavily around the small animal’s body. He slips through the rings and is back again tearing at the cobra’s neck. The great snake lies trembling on the floor of the cage. The battle is over. The mongoose releases the cobra and nibbles at the mysterious plant the old Quihi has thrust into the cage. The Quihi does not tell us the name of the plant; he finds it in the mountains, the home of the mongoose. It kills poifeon and gives new strength: it is the salvation of the mongoose. Soon we see the mongoose again on its feet, nibbles slowly, leaf by leaf, at the mysterious plant. The long tail is waving to and fro as if nothing had happened. Then it begins playing again with the round nut.