HOW I BECAME A SNAKE CHARMER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 72, 24 March 1906, Page 14

HOW I BECAME A SNAKE CHARMER.

(By-Wanda Bartlett.)

It was my first season on the road with a circus. I was one of 40 ballet girls. It was a -great life, living day after day under the white tents, travelling night after night in sleeping cars.

Rough as it looks, an outsider would be surprised how fine it really is. The thing that interested mc most was the side show. Every day after parade was over would find mc in the side show watching the girl with the bushy hair charm the snakes. I soon became friendly with the girl, but she could not get mc within five feet of her pets. Nor did she seem at all_ anxious to have mc near them. THROWN INTO THE BUSINESS. One day Allie—that was the girlname—was not in parade. The glass cafte with the snakes was there, but no Allie sitting inside. So, after we came back, I ran over to see what the trouble was. "Allie is sick," said the manager, "and had to stay at the car. I wish you would take these snakes out on the stand for mc while I make a speech to the crowd." "11" I cried. "Why, Mr Griffen, I never touched a snake in my life." "They won't hurt you," he said. And before I -knew what had happened he had put three or four small ones on my arm and was leadiug mc out on the little stage before the crowd.

I never was so frightened in all my life. The snakes were ice cold - and crawling around my hands and arms trying to hold on. I held them away from mc as far as possible, and was trembling in every limb. I could hear people in tne crowd saying: "Look at her. She is afraid of them herself." Mr Griffen made his speech sending mc inside. "Well," he said, laughing, "you really are scared," taking the snakes from my arms. I tried to smile, but couldn't. _Mv face seemed frozen stiff. BECOMES BEAL CIRCASSIAN CHARMER. I was glad to get away from the sideshow and back to my own dressingroom. Two days later Mr Griffen came i to the big tent and asked for mc. "Allie is sick," he said, "and will be sent home this afternoon. J'm in an awful fix. The snake act is my main attraction and I have no charmer. How would you like to do this act? You'll get four times as much salary as you are getting now, and Allie will sell the snakes at half price. You can make lots of money selling your pictures, too."

He gave mc no chance to refuse. That night I soaked my hair in beer and put it tip in curl papers to make it look bushy. • The next morning I put on my little spangled dress and took my seat on the little stage beside the glass case of snakes.

At first I was afraid to handle the big ones, much to the disappointment of the audience. I soon became extremely fond of these snakes. This sounds strange. But one gets as fond of these as of any other pets.

SNAKES ARE EXPENSIVE PETS.

Snake charming is an expensive act. Snakes cost about 5 dollars a foot for little ones, and 8 -dollars to 10 dollars a foot, for big ones. A snake five feet long costs 2.5 dollars, while one ten feet long may cost 75 dollars to 100 dollars, according to its weight. They must be kept in a warm place, and at times it is necessary to put hot water bags in the case at night, which they hug closely. They get a milk bath once a week, and drink of the milk. This is the only time they do drink. Their way of feeding is the most remarkable part. They eat only once a week, or once in two weeks, or once a month, as they get hungry, I suppose. They do not eat anything that has been killed. They kill their own food. They feed on little chickens, ducks, birds, tiny rabbits, and they swallow the food whole. Three days after feeding charmers do not handle snakes. This is the only time they are dangerous. Sometimes I would put a little chicken in the case, and it would peep for days before a snake would eat it. Sometimes he would crush it to death and not eat it at all.

Once I had a little rabbit in the case over night and the poor little thing went insane from fright. When I opened the case in the morning the rabbit jumped out, ran up and down in tbe tent until he found an opening. Out he went, and never came back.

POISON GLANDS NOT EXTRACTED.

Many people will ask, do you extract the poison from these snakes? We do not: they arc just as when captured. What makes them lay so still, then? Snakes come from the south, where it is hot. This climate is too cold for them. It seems to take the life half out of them, makes them numb and. takes the fight out of them.