Norman Vallery Part 14

"The next day, going down to the pond what was his surprise to see the fish swim towards him, and poke his head out of the water. He perceived that some of the bandaging had been displaced, and lifting the fish as before gently on the bank he dressed the wound, and again returned it to its native element. As he walked along the bank, the fish swam by his side, and not till he turned his back, did it dart off into deep water.

"The following day, he again went down to the pond, when the fish swam up to where he stood, though it did no more than come to the edge, being apparently satisfied that its wound was going on well. As long as he remained in the place, the fish invariably appeared whenever he went to the pond, and swam close to the edge, as he walked along the bank.

"I must confess that that fish must have had as much sense as many other animals, and probably felt more pain when injured, and would have been alarmed, if it had been attacked, or had found a hook in its jaws."

"But is the story really true?" asked f.a.n.n.y.

"It is at all events as well authenticated as many other anecdotes,"

answered the laird. "By-the-by, Mrs Vallery, I should like to witness the performances of the snake-charmers in India. Have you ever seen them?"

"Frequently," answered Mrs Vallery. "They are very wonderful, and my husband has taken some pains to ascertain whether there is any imposture, but without success. They profess to charm the Cobra de Capella and other snakes, which are excessively venomous, and abound in all the hotter parts of the country. It is said, indeed, that 12,000 natives are killed annually by bites from them. The snake-charmers do not previously train the snakes, but will charm those only just caught, quite as well as those they carry about with them.

"They use for this purpose, a hollow gourd on which they play a buzzing music. On one occasion, three men appeared, dressed only in their turbans and waist cloths, in which it was impossible they could have concealed any snakes. My husband took them to some wild ground, where they speedily caught a couple of large cobras, and returning with the venomous creatures having placed them on the ground, made them rear up their bodies, and raise and bow their heads, keeping exact time with the music. After they had ceased, my husband speedily killed the snakes, and on examining them the poison fangs were found to be perfect.

Generally, however, the snake-charmers either extract the fangs of the snakes they carry about with them, or wisely employ those which are harmless. They allow the creatures to crawl over their bodies, and twist and twine themselves in the most horrible manner round their necks and arms, and I have seen a snake putting its forked tongue into its master's mouth.

"There are instances, however, of the venomous serpents biting the snake-charmers, who have thus lost their lives.

"At one of the stations where my husband was quartered, snakes were very numerous, and we used to keep a mongoose in the house to destroy them.

It is a pretty little animal, a species of ichneumon with catlike habits and a very prying disposition. The common idea is, that if bitten by a venomous serpent, it runs to find a particular herb, which prevents the venom taking effect. This, however, is not really the case, the mongoose depends upon its own vigilance and great agility for escaping from the fangs of even the most active serpent, for if bitten, it would die like any other animal.

"I should not like to see men allowing snakes to put their tongues in their mouths, even though I knew that the fangs had been taken out,"

observed f.a.n.n.y. "But I should like to see the jugglers you were speaking of, mamma, who performed such wonderful tricks."

"I was mentioning the Indian gipsies or Nutts, as they are called, who travel as those in England used to do, from one end of the country to the other, and appear to have no settled home. A party arrived one day at our station, and offered to exhibit their tricks, and your papa gave them leave to do so.

"There were among them several persons of all ages. First an old man took his seat on the ground and began violently beating a drum, shouting out that we should soon see what we should see. Meantime a young man and a boy had fixed firmly in the ground a bamboo nearly thirty feet high, and while thus engaged, another man singing in a monotonous voice, was running round and round it. Presently a woman who was standing by, leaped on the shoulder of the running man, who did not stop, but continued his course as before, rapidly increasing his speed. In another minute she had leaped on his head, and there she stood with perfect steadiness, while he ran still faster, and the old man beat the drum louder and louder, shrieking all the time, even more shrilly than before, till the noise became almost deafening.

"While our senses were somewhat bewildered by the sound, the boy ran up to the running man with a large earthen pot, which the latter in a wonderful way placed on his head; the woman having, I suppose, in the meantime put her feet on his shoulders, for before I could follow her movements she appeared standing on the top of the pot, the man still running round as before.

"The man who had been fixing the pole in the earth, now advanced, and taking up a heavy stone ball which it would have required a strong man to lift even a few inches from the ground, began playing with it, catching it now on one shoulder, now on the other, then in his hands, and on his arms and feet. Next he threw up two ivory b.a.l.l.s, quickly adding others in succession, till there were no less than eight kept in motion at the same time, flying up in the air.

"The first party, who had in the meantime been resting, now arranged a flat circular bra.s.s dish, of considerable size, on which were placed four pillars about three inches high. These were connected by four sticks, with other sticks above them, and then more pillars, and so on, till there were fully thirty pillars one above another, with a bra.s.s dish on the top of all. We thought it surprising that this structure could stand as it did, but greater was our amazement to see it lifted on the man's head while he was circling round the post, and still more astonished were we, when the woman sprang like lightning up in the air and stood on the top of all, as steadily as if she was on the ground, while the man continued rapidly circling round.

"After this, one of the men leaped on the shoulders of the other, who was standing close to the pole, and then the woman making use of them as a ladder, sprang to the very top of the pole, on the point of which she lay in a horizontal position, when one of the men who had followed her, touching her foot, she began to spin round and round, like the card of a pocket compa.s.s on its point.

"The men performed a variety of other tricks, but those I have mentioned are the most wonderful.

"Here was no room for deception, though many of the tricks performed by Indian jugglers are really the result of clever sleight-of-hand."

"I think I would rather see the tricks which the conjuror did when we went to the Egyptian Hall last year with granny," said f.a.n.n.y; "I never like to look at people who are doing things by which if they make a mistake they may hurt themselves. I should not like to have seen Blondin, and the other people we read of in the newspapers, who run along tight ropes high up in the air."

"I should think them very foolish for their pains, and wish them a better mode of gaining their livelihood," observed Mr Maclean, "and I agree with f.a.n.n.y. A sailor has to climb the rigging of his ship, but then he goes in the way of duty, and when people mount in balloons, they have generally a scientific object in view, or some reason to offer.

But in my opinion, the rest of the world should keep their feet on the earth as long as they can."

Even Norman, was interested in this conversation, and declared that he recollected the performances of the jugglers which his mamma spoke of.

He then described several scenes which he had witnessed in India, in a very clear way.

"You have got a head on your shoulders, young gentleman," observed the laird; "I only hope you have got your heart in its right place."

Mrs Leslie sighed, for she was afraid that her little grandson had been so long allowed to have his own way, that though his heart might be in its right place, as the common expression is, it was sadly choked up with the bad seed of weeds, which were already beginning to sprout The next day was rainy, and neither f.a.n.n.y nor Norman could go out. He behaved himself tolerably well in the drawing-room, but when they were at play together, he ordered her about in his usual dictatorial manner, and said several things which greatly tried her temper.

"Although he is so forward in many things, and talks so well, he is but a little boy after all," she thought; "it is, however, easy to feel amiable and good when I am not opposed, but I ought to try and be so, notwithstanding all he says and does."

The following day was bright and fine, and as Sandy could not take them, out in the boat, the laird asked f.a.n.n.y and Norman whether they would like to make another excursion with the carriage. "Oh yes! I shall like it very much," exclaimed Norman. "Please cut me another long stick, for f.a.n.n.y broke the one you gave me the other day."

f.a.n.n.y did not say why she broke it, so the laird cut another long thin wand, and gave it to Norman.

"Ah, this will make my horse go on at a good quick pace," he observed, flourishing it. "I won't ask you to drag me up the hill, because you can't," he said to f.a.n.n.y, "so if you will pull, I'll push behind."

"That is very right of you," observed the laird, as his young friends set off on their excursion. "He is a fine little fellow, though too much addicted to boasting."

f.a.n.n.y, with Norman pushing behind, soon dragged the carriage up the hill. He then declared that he was tired, and getting in told her to move on.

As the ground was tolerably smooth, she was able to do so at a speed which satisfied the young gentleman.

"Capital," he cried out, flourishing his stick, "my horse draws fast, go on, go on; now see if you can't gallop."

f.a.n.n.y exerted herself to the utmost, and the air being pure and fresh she felt in good spirits.

The ground after some time became rather rougher, but Norman did not mind the b.u.mping and thumping of the carriage, though it was much harder work for f.a.n.n.y.

She at last began to go slower.

"Can't you keep it up," he cried out. "If you do not! Remember I have got my stick!"

"You must also remember how I treated you the last time," said f.a.n.n.y, "and if you use your stick as you did then, I will leave you in the carriage and run away."

"You had better not," said Norman. "You promised to take care of me.

Mamma will be angry if you leave me on the moor all alone by myself."

"Very well, do not beat me with your stick, and I will drag you on as fast as I can," said f.a.n.n.y.

Norman remembering that f.a.n.n.y had broken his stick before, thought it would be wise not to tempt her to do so again, and therefore, though he continued to flourish it, and now and then to touch her frock, he did not venture to beat her.

f.a.n.n.y went on contentedly, sometimes turning round to speak to him and sometimes stopping to rest. As the ground looked smoother to the right, f.a.n.n.y turned off from the main track and went towards a clump of trees which she saw in the distance, knowing that it would serve as a guide to her and believing she could easily find her way back again.

On and on they went--Norman was delighted.

"This is great fun; I wonder where we shall get to at last," he said, when f.a.n.n.y again stopped to rest. "I think it will be soon time, however, to go back again," she observed, "for though Mr Maclean told us we could come to no harm on the moor, we might lose our way if we went very far."

Norman urged her to go on.

"I see a cottage a little way off between the trees, let us go as far as that, and then we can turn back," he said.

f.a.n.n.y wished to please him and though she already felt a little tired, she thought there would be no difficulty in reaching the cottage, and that she would like to talk to the people who lived in it. At length, however, the ground became rougher than ever, and they soon came to a shallow burn or stream which made its way from the higher part of the moor, and went winding along till it fell into the loch below.

"I am afraid we must turn back now at all events," she said, "I shall never be able to drag the carriage over this rough ground and across the stream, so we must go back and give up visiting the cottage."