TEN COBRAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 21 September 1938, Page 5

TEN COBRAS.

SNAKE CHARMER'S BAG. CAIRO. A good snake-charming story comes from Koni Osheim, where the British Ambassador has a little country villa. One day the tracks of a. enake were seen leading past the front door. The snake, which proved to be a cobra, was run to earth and killed.

The incident, however, alarmed the authorities somewhat, since this might easily mean that others we.re in the neighbourhood.

Experts were consulted, and confirmed that in this particular district a certain species of cobra was known to exist. So a celebrated snake-charmer wee sent for.

He duly arrived and began his incantations and prayers, After a while from all sides cobras began to appear and move slowly towards the charmer, who put them one after the other into his sack. There were nine in all.

j Just as he was leaving a tenth. ! obviously from its size the patriarch of the family, made its appearance. The chirmer resumed his appeals to the great "El Uifai," the saint who is reputed to have complete control over the serpent tribe. , Just ae he reached the culminating point iii his invocations, the magnificent cobra raised its hooded head before him and remained motionless, allowing him to pick it up and put it with the rest of its progeny in his sack. It was a most impressive illustration of "charming."