X LARGE PYTHON KILLED 201 



about two inches in length, straight and sharp as a 

 needle. Altogether, it was the most disagreeable 

 place one could well imagine in which to fight a 

 wounded elephant, and I had small hopes of meeting 

 with much success. Before proceeding many yards 

 we found traces of the handiwork of elephants, 

 which had been here two days ago, and were 

 perhaps still on the island. All round thejungle and 

 between it and the water ran a margin of open 

 ground varying from 10 to 100 yards in breadth, 

 making the walking very easy. As we advanced 

 we came across great quantities of buffalo spoor 

 and the huge footprints of elephants, none of which 

 latter were fresher than those we had noticed on 

 the point of the island. Looking now to the north 

 and west there were no more islands to be seen, 

 but extending to the distant horizon stretched one 

 unbroken bed of reeds, through which, say the natives, 

 the main branch of the Chobe runs. We had made 

 the circuit of perhaps two-thirds of the island, when 

 one of my men caught sight of a large python lying 

 under a bush, which, in company with some of his 

 friends, he proceeded to attack. Before the huge 

 reptile seemed to think of bestirring itself, a barbed 

 spear was driven through its body just behind the 

 head, pinning it to the ground, and almost at the 

 same instant two or three more through different 

 parts of its back. Another man then sawed its head 

 off with a large broad-bladed assegai, and the other 

 spears were withdrawn ; but the body still continued 

 to writhe in a wonderful manner. This python was a 

 female, measuring fifteen feet in length, and the natives, 

 after removing the skin, which I bought, carried it 

 entire to camp, as the meat and fat of these reptiles 

 are considered by them to form a very choice dish. 



