We have all heard of the snakecharmers of India, who make the snakes imitate all their movements.
Certainly real charmers of wild beasts usually end by being bitten or injured in some other way, which would seem to show that the hypnotization does not always work, or else it does not exist at all.
The snake-charmers from the coast who visit Ceylon profess to prepare the snake-stones for themselves, and preserve the composition as a secret.
It is supposed by some that these charmers take the precaution of exhausting the venom of the Cobra every day by forcing it to bite something several times before exhibiting it.
Other charmers obtain from the Cobra an alternating and cadenced movement of the neck by the help of sounds which are drawn from a whistle or small flute.
The Eryx Johnii is frequently found in the possession of the serpent-charmers of its native country, who mutilate the end of its short, thick tail in such a manner that the scarred extremity somewhat resembles the form of the head.
The charmerssometimes manifest a fearlessly confident dexterity in handling intact venomous snakes.
The charmers usually take good care to play with snakes whose fangs or even poison-glands have been carefully removed, or even to use those which are not venomous at all.
This is a fine trick," said she, "you are twocharmers indeed!
I was grateful to my charmers for having thought of my stomach, but as I had purposely made a late and heavy meal I determined to defer the consumption of my cold collation till a later hour.
Thus the night that I was to pass with my two charmers would be my last.
However, the mixture of wines, and above all the punch, had done their work, and my charmers were slightly elevated.
Charmers go about the country, and are supposed to cure wounds made by serpents.
These Telchines are called by some writers charmers and enchanters, who besprinkle animals and plants, with a view to destroy them, with the water of the Styx, mingled with sulphur.
Their ardor was febrile and their power money; and every time they escorted with a quickened step their charmers past young dark men, thecharmers glanced back appealingly.
How the serpent-charmers perform their feats is not very intelligible.
The charmersare always provided with musical instruments, of which a sort of flute with a loud shrill sound is the one which is mostly used in the performances.
The rapidity with which a cobra learns this lesson is extraordinary, the charmers being as willing to show their mastery over newly-caught Serpents as over those which have been long in their possession.
Those snake-charmers who are confident of their own powers merely grasp the reptile by the neck, force open its jaws with a piece of stick, and break off the fangs, which are but loosely attached to the jaw.
Indian snake-charmers profess to have a belief in the efficacy of snake-stones, or bezoar stones, as a remedy to be applied on the part bitten by a poisonous snake, a belief shared by the natives of many tropical countries.
Another deadly snake shown by the snake-charmers in North Africa is the Horned Viper, Cerastes cornutus.
Three Hindu snake-charmers leaped wildly in and out among the throng, flinging about dark, crooked sticks for snakes.
Eight little boys and three Hindu snake-charmers were eating copiously of frozen pudding.
The shrivelled appearance which is supposed to be peculiar to mysterious sticks, such as snake charmers produce, the fuss made about it, and the value attached to it convinced her that her mistress owned a Momiai stick.
Snake charmers are supposed to have the power of recognizing these serpent treasure guardians, follow them stealthily to their holes, and ask them to point out the deposit.
The safety with which snake-charmers handle cobras is said to be due to the removal of a stone, which supplied their teeth with venom, from under the tongue or behind the hood.
In cases of snake-bite, the Dommara snake-charmers place over the seat of the bite a black stone, which is said to be composed of various drugs mixed together and burnt.
A class of snake-charmers in Malabar, called Kuravan, go about the country exhibiting snakes.
And the way of it is this; by losing my little charmers before they cease from charming, I make them mine for always, in a sense.
But the bright and beauteous images of the little girl charmers would not have been mine if instead of letting the originals disappear from my ken I had kept them too long in it.
Some persons have thought that all the snakes caught by the professional charmers are tame reptiles, which have been previously placed in the hole by the men, and which have been deprived of their fangs.
Careful investigations, however, have proved that the snake is really attracted by the shrill notes of the flute, and that the charmers handle with unconcern the snakes which are in full possession of their fangs and poison-glands.
There is no doubt that the snake-charmers trust chiefly to this sluggish nature of the reptile, but they certainly go through some ceremonies by which they believe themselves to be rendered impervious to snake-bites.
Any of these which are comparatively insensible to the charmersefforts may be considered as "deaf adders.
Thus those who are ready to listen to the formulae of the snake-charmers shall always be immune from the bites of serpents, and their children also.
As a further protection against them Ra promised to impart to magicians and snake-charmers the particular word of power, hekau, with which he guarded himself against the attacks of serpents, and also to transmit it to his son Osiris.
By far the larger number of those accused, as we have already pointed out, were charmers and enchanters, people who made a penny here and twopence there, but who had at best a precarious existence.
Here were charmers and "inchanters," experienced dealers in magic, struggling against one another.
The practisers of the magic arts, the charmers and enchanters, were responsible for developing the notions of witchcraft.
There is no difficulty, at any time, in obtaining performers with snakes, for serpent charmers and trainers are well-known and popular.
The charmers probably influence the snakes in three ways--by music, by fumes arising from substances they burn in a dish, and also by certain movements of their own bodies.
A most interesting account of snake-charmers is given by Drummond Hay, in his book on Western Barbary, in which he relates his experiences with some of these wonderful individuals belonging to the sect called Eisowy.
The snake-charmers I saw at the festival at Tantah went through pretty much the same performance as that I witnessed in Cairo, and a very few moments sufficed to satisfy my curiosity.
The snake-charmers of Egypt are much like their confreres of the extreme Orient, but are less famous in the matter of skill and daring.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "charmers" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
