[96]It is called (Adû el hensh) the serpent’s enemy.
[97]Even the Bo’ah, or desert serpent (described in a subsequent page), is not venomous.
[98]The river called Luccos should be El Kos, so named from its winding through the country in semi-circular forms; El Kos in Arabic signifies a bow or arch.
[99]El Garb (the g guttural) signifies in Arabic the west; this is the western province.
[100]See the Author’s observations on the Plague in Barbary, in the Gentleman’s Magazine, February 1805, page 123.
[101]In the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsæus, and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, Africa scarce breathing from bloody wars, a terrible and extraordinary destruction ensued; for now throughout Africa an infinite multitude of locusts were collected, and having devoured the growing corn, and consumed the vegetables, and leaves of the trees, their tender boughs, and their bark, they were finally driven, by a sudden and tempestuous wind, into the air, and being driven by the wind through the air, at length were drowned in the sea; their carcases, loathsome and putrified, being cast up by the waves of the sea in immense heaps, in all parts of the shore, bred an incredible and infectious smell, after which followed so general a pestilence of all living creatures, that the dead bodies of cattle, wild beasts, and fowls, corrupted by dissolution, filled the atmosphere with a contagious miasma, and augmented the fury of the plague; but how great and extraordinary a death of men there was, I cannot but tremble to report; in Numidia, where Micipsa was the king, died eighty thousand persons: on the sea-coast, near Carthage and Utica, about two hundred thousand are reported to have perished; from the city of Utica itself were, by this means, swept from the face of the earth thirty thousand soldiers, who were appointed to be the garrison of Africa, and the destruction was so violent, according to report, that from one gate of Utica were carried to be buried, in one and the same day, the bodies of above fifteen hundred of the aforesaid soldiers; so that by the grace of God (through whose mercy, and in confidence of whom I speak of these events), I boldly affirm that sometimes, even in our days, the locusts do much mischief, yet never before happened, in the time of the Christians, a calamity so insupportable, as this scourge of locusts, which, when alive, were insufferable, and after their death, produced much more pernicious consequences, which, if they had lived, would have destroyed every vegetable thing; but being dead, destroyed, through the plague which they produced, all earthly creatures. Vide Paulus Orosius contra Paganos, Lib. V. Cap. ii.
[102]This invigorating quality is expressed by the term Skoon, the k guttural.
[103]These Aisawie have a considerable sanctuary at Fas. They go to Suse in large bodies about the month of July to collect serpents, which they pretend to render harmless by a certain form of words, incantation, or invocation to (Seedy ben Aisah[a]) their tutelary saint. They have an annual feast, at which time they dance and shake their heads quickly, during a certain period, till they become giddy, when they run about the towns frantic, attacking any person that may have a black or dark dress on; they bite, scratch, and devour any thing that comes in their way. They will attack an Unjumma, or portable fire, and tear the lighted charcoal to pieces with their hands and mouths. I have seen them take the serpents, which they carry about, and devour them alive, the blood streaming down their clothes. The incredible accounts of their feats would fill a volume; the following observations may suffice to give the reader an idea of these extraordinary fanatics. The Bûska and the El Effah here described, are enticed out of their holes by them; they handle them with impunity, though their bite is ascertained to be mortal; they put them into a cane basket, and throw it over their shoulders: these serpents they carry about the country, and exhibit them to the people. I have seen them play with them, and suffer them to twist round their bodies in all directions, without receiving any injury from them. I have often enquired how they managed to do this, but never could get any direct or satisfactory answer; they assure you, however, that faith in their saint, and the powerful influence of the name of the Divinity, Isim Allah, enables them to work these miracles: they maintain themselves in a miserable way, by donations from the spectators before whom they exhibit. This art of fascinating serpents was known by the ancient Africans, as appears from the Marii and Psylli, who were Africans, and shewed proofs of it at Rome.
[a]Aisah signifies Jesus: thus Jesus Christ is denominated by the Mohammedans, Seedna Aisah, i.e. Our Lord Jesus.
[104]Ky herk el bled beshuelhu.