prietor as the last bit of fur
disappeared. "To my mind it is not half so cruel as hunting hares with
guns and dogs, for death from the snake's blow is as quick and
painless as that from a bullet, and there are no maimed and wounded
animals to drag themselves away to lingering deaths in hiding. But now I
will show you something which has never been known in this country."

[Illustration: _"Brought the head of the cobra close to his face."_]

One of the natives brought out a curiously woven circular basket which
he handled with great care, and setting it in the middle of the cage
retired to a respectful distance. Brandu crouched on the floor beside
it, and, although the performance was not accompanied by the weird
Oriental music which signaled the public appearances of the snake
charmer, the tense expression of his face and the uncanniness of the
surroundings made it sufficiently impressive, for he was about to handle
the cobra de capello, the most venomous snake in all the great
collection. He wasted no time in the pantomime and incantation of the
ring performance, but quickly threw off the cover, and when the hooded
head arose swaying above the edge of the basket, he started a low
whistling and passed his slim brown hands with lightning rapidity above
it. He was absolutely fearless, but the task before him demanded the
concentration of all his thoughts and he seemed unconscious of the
startling interruption of a fight between two of the lions, and the
shouts and pistol-shots of the keepers who separated them.

He never removed his gaze from the head of the serpent and his hands
moved so rapidly that they were almost invisible until, quicker than a
snake could strike, one of them darted down and caught the slim neck
behind the distended hood. He gave a sharp exclamation of triumph and
sprang to his feet, the cobra coiling its body about his bare brown arm
and giving every indication of rage.

"I am always glad when that part of the performance is over," said the
Proprietor with a sigh of relief. "Of course, it is all in the day's
work with Brandu and he has done it thousands of times, but some day he
will be a fraction of a second too slow and then--well, I shall have to
get another snake charmer. Watch him now and you will see something
which only the men of his caste can do."

Brandu's white teeth glistened as he smiled at the Proprietor and
pointed first to his own eyes and then to those of the serpent. He
broug