Meer Hassan Ali, B.: Observations on the Mussulmauns of India: descriptive of their manners, customs, habits, and religious opinions ; made during a twelve years residence in their immediate Society (Band 2) (London, 1832)

64 ANECDOTE OF THE SNAKE-CATCHERS.

temper, besought him that the snakes might
be restored, as by their aid he earned his pre-
carious livelihood.

" ' That they are yours, I cannot doubt,' re-
plied the Moonshie, ' and, therefore, my con-
science will not allow me to detain them from you;
but the promised reward I of course keep back.
Your insolence and duplicity deserve chastise-
ment, nevertheless I promise to forgive you, if
you will explain to me how you managed to
introduce these snakes.'

" The man, thankful that he should escape
without further loss or punishment, showed the
harmless snakes, which, it appears, had been
deprived of their fangs and poison, and were so
well instructed and docile, that they obeyed
their keeper as readily as the best-tutored
domestic animal. They coiled up their supple
bodies into the smallest compass possible, and
allowed their keeper to deposit them each in a
separate bag of calico, which was fastened under
his wrapper, where it would have been impos-
sible, the Moonshie declares, for the quickest
eye to discover that any thing was secreted."