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they are so possessed with this idea that if one were to 

 bite their wife or child once or twice they would not do 

 it any injury, hut only summon it by means of a charm 

 and reprimand it ; the consequence is that they kill the 

 more, There is still another class of snakes, the 

 description of ivhich would appear like a fable. I 

 would myself not mention it, had not the truth of it 

 been vouched for by a prominent man born in the 

 island itself, and very well acquainted with everything 

 in it; for although the report is persistent it is 

 impossible to believe it. I refer to my comrade, 

 Caspar Figueira de Cerpe. This snake is of the 

 thickness of a top-string. Its length is three palms and 

 its colour brown'' {Dryophis Pulverulentus ?). ''It 

 places itself on a branch, and as a bull, buffalo, wild 

 boar, elk, elephant, or any other animal passes below so 

 thai it can touch it, the bones, nerves, and the flesh of 

 the part through which the venom passes rots to the 

 thickness of the snake's body, leaving, however, the skin 

 on the outside intact and in its usual state, but the 

 animal remains there, but has not the power to move, 

 and when they opened some of these animals to find out 

 what was the matter, they discovered such were its 

 effects. The same ill-luck befel a Chingala, and he 

 lived for some years in this fashion without being 

 cured but they do say that these snakes are not 

 numerous. There are others of a green colour, of the 

 same length and thickness as the former. These, too, 

 lie on branches, and as a man or animal passes by, they 

 pick out their eyes." {Probably Dryophis My cterizans, 

 whose "■ eye-pecking " propensities are believed in to the 

 present day.) ''Another kind, which they call the 

 mountain snake" {Python?), "will swallow up a 

 heifer or a stag, and some of these animals I have seen 

 when killed by our Caffres, who eat the flesh, and say 

 that it is very tasty and nourishing. Each slice had a 

 thickness exceeding one palm. And the meat was very 

 white, with scales like a whiting:' 



