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128 Symbolism of the East and West
ground and disappears. They believe that should any one
by chance tread upon this spot he would be stricken with
a grievous skin disease and die a horrible death.
There is a class of men in Coorg, a mongrel race called
Kaniyas, who set themselves up as wizards and magicians.
They make their rounds about the country, going sometimes
to a landed proprietor and informing him that a cobra has
died somewhere on his property. This latter is naturally
anxious to avoid any evil consequences which might result,
and for a consideration induces the Kaniya to indicate to him
the exact spot, which he then carefully encloses with a low
wall of stones.
It is remarkably singular to find in a Teutonic language
the Indian word for a snake. It would seem scarcely neces-
sary to remind our readers that the German word for a viper
is Natfe?'. At the foot of the Simplon, where the people are
of German origin, is a little village called Naters, to which is
attached the following legend :— Close to this village, on the
mountain side, is a deep cavern, which tradition states was
formerly inhabited by a horrible dragon (dragons and ser-
pents are synonymous in such tales), who subsisted upon
human flesh and any cattle or sheep which he could plunder.
He daily devoured a shepherd or one of his flock. The tale
CToes on to relate that a blacksmith, who for some crime had
been condemned to death, told the magistrate of the place, on
the eve of his execution, that he would kill the dragon if he
were promised a free pardon should he escape with his life
from the encounter. The combat took place, the blacksmith
usinor a sword which he had forged for the occasion. The
battle lasted an hour or more, when the spectators, seeing that