Chap. Y. SUP ON A POISONOUS SERPENT. ] 1 1 



11th. It was useless to think of ascending the Ovi- 

 gui in a canoe, as the current had become so strong 

 with the heavy rains, and the canoe was too small 

 to carry all our party ; so we were ferried across to 

 the opposite side, where a path commenced leading to 

 Olenda. Our march for several miles led through 

 forest. About four p.m. a storm burst upon us, and 

 we arrived at an old ebando, where we were to pass 

 the night, drenched to tlie skin. 



As we were entering the shed, eager to find a 

 shelter from the soaking rain, my men gave a 

 sudden shout of alarm, and all started backwards, 

 tumbling over a fallen log, and floundering in the 

 mire. The cause of their fright was a huge poi- 

 sonous snake which lay coiled up on the ground 

 within the shelter. The snake was of a species con- 

 sidered by the negroes to be the most poisonous of 

 all the kinds known in Western Africa, the Clotho 

 nasicornis. In colour it can scarcely be distin- 

 guished from the ground and dead leaves on which 

 it crawls. It is of great thickness round the middle, 

 tapering very suddenly at the tail, and its head is 

 very large and hideous, being triangular in shape, 

 and having an erect process or horn rising from the 

 tip of its nose. 



One of our Ashira men killed it. They were de- 

 lighted with their good fortune, for, being large 

 and fat, it furnished them, when roasted, with a good 

 supper ; some of the meat was boiled for broth, and 

 the rest was carefully packed away for another meal. 

 After our arrival at Olenda, I saw the Asliira man 



