CH. v] A SNAKE 111 



down into the river bottom proper. In the bottom 

 there were large, open, grassy places, while the trees 

 made a thick fringe along the river course. We had 

 given up the impalla and turned out towards the plain, 

 when one of my gun- bearers whistled to us, and said he 

 had seen the wounded animal cross the bottom and go 

 into tlie fringe of trees bounding a deep pool, in which 

 we knew there were both hippos and crocodiles. We 

 were off our horses at once, and, leaving them at the 

 top, scrambled down the descent and crossed the bottom 

 to the spot indicated. The impalla had lain down as 

 soon as it reached cover, and as we entered the fringe 

 of w^ood I caught a glimpse of it getting up and making 

 oft'. Vet fifty yards farther it stopped again, standing- 

 right on the brink of the pool, so close that when 1 shot 

 it, it fell over into the water. 



When, after arranging for tliis impalla to be carried 



back to the farm, we returned to where our horses had 



been left, the boys told us with much excitement that 



there was a large snake near by ; and, sure enough, a 



' few yards off, coiled up in the long grass under a small 



tree, was a python. I could not see it distinctly, and, 



i using a solid bullet, I just missed the backbone, the 



I bullet going through the body about its middle. 



] Immediately the snake lashed at me with open jaws, 



j and then, uncoiling, came gliding rapidly in our 



, direction. I do not think it was charging ; I think 



I it was merely trying to escape. But Judd, who 



I was utterly unmoved by lion, leopard, or rhino, evidently 



held this snake in respect, and yelled to me to get out 



I of the way. Accordingly, I jumped back a few feet, 



I and the snake came over the ground where 1 had stood ; 



' its evil genius then made it halt for a moment and raise 



its head to a height of perhaps three feet, and I killed it 



