eyes upon it.

Then, all being ready, I chose a specially dramatic moment at a
_corroboree_ to challenge my rival in a war song, this challenge being
substantially as follows: "You tell the people that you are as great as
I--the all-powerful white spirit-man. Well, now, I offer you a formal
challenge to perform the feat which I shall perform on a certain day and
at a certain spot." The day was the very next day, and the spot, the
scene of my strange surgical operations upon the snakes. The effect of
my challenge was magical.

The jealous medicine-man, boldly and openly challenged before the whole
tribe, had no time to make up an evasive reply, and he accepted then and
there. Urgent messages were despatched, by the fun-loving blacks, to all
the tribes, so that we were pretty sure of a large and attentive
audience. It was about midday when the ridge round the depression was
crowded with expectant blacks, every one of whom dearly loved a contest,
or competition, of whatever kind. I lost no time--for in love or war
shilly-shallying is unknown among the blacks--but boldly leaped down into
the hollow armed only with a reed whistle, which I had made for myself
solely with the view of enticing the snakes from their holes. I cast a
triumphant glance at my impassive rival, who, up to this moment, had not
the faintest idea what the proposed ordeal was. I commenced to play as
lively a tune as the limited number of notes in the whistle would allow,
and before I had been playing many minutes the snakes came gliding out,
swinging their heads backwards and forwards and from side to side as
though they were under a spell. Selecting a huge black snake, who bore
unobtrusively my safety mark, I pounced down upon him and presented my
bare arm. After teasing the reptile two or three times I allowed him to
strike his teeth deep into my flesh, and immediately the blood began to
run. I also permitted several other fangless snakes to bite me until my
arms and legs, breast and back, were covered with blood. Personally, I
did not feel much the worse, as the bites were mere punctures, and I knew
the selected reptiles to be quite innocuous. Several "unmarked" snakes,
however, manifested an eager desire to join in the fun, and I had some
difficulty in escaping their deadly attentions. I had to wave them aside
with a stick.

All this time the blacks above me were yelling with excitement, and I am
under the impression that several were